Thierry Henry could select Arsenal’s William Saliba in preparation for Summer Olympics | OneFootball

Thierry Henry will officially begin his preparation for the Olympic Games on Thursday when he announces his squad for friendlies against Ivory Coast and the United States.

The under-21s manager will be allowed to call on players born in 2001 in anticipation of the competition later this summer, and the increased pool of players could leave Henry with some interesting choices across the pitch.

William Saliba (22) could be one player that Henry will turn to, the defender has continuously impressed since making his debut for AS Saint-Étienne and has become a key figure in an Arsenal side hoping to claim their first league title since the 2003/04 season.

However, this choice will likely rest on the decision of France manager Didier Deschamps. The French national team will have priority over the preparation for the Olympic Games, and according to L’Équipe, Deschamps could favour Saliba over Axel Disasi (26) in his selection.

Chelsea’s Benoît Badiashile (22) will miss out due to his recent injury, meaning Anthony Rouault (22) could receive a call-up to the team after impressing with VfB Stuttgart this season. Lucas Chevalier (22) could well be selected in goal, while Bafodé Diakité (22) and Adrien Truffert (22) might see time in defence.

In midfield, Henry could pick Khéphren Thuram (22), Joris Chotard (22), and Manu Koné (22), while in attack, Micahel Olise’s (22) injury could provide room for Yann Gboho (23) to make his mark. What’s clear is that Henry’s squad will look vastly different from his last side as many of the under-21s could miss out due to the greater choices available. #

Henry likely to be without Mbappé

Speculation continues over who Henry will select for the three ‘joker’ positions in the team, as the Olympics allow for three players over the age limit to be selected for the squad. It was suspected that Henry would like to have called upon Kylian Mbappé (25), Antoine Griezmann (32) and Olivier Giroud (37).

Mbappé has expressed his interest in playing at the Olympics, hosted in his hometown of Paris, but doubts remain over his future involvement due to a suspected move to Real Madrid. Henry has said previously to L’Équipe that “I’ve never spoken to Kylian about [playing]. Even if, like everyone else, I heard that he would like to.”

According to L’Équipe, Griezmann and Giroud, both look like viable options, while they posit that Raphaël Varane (30) could be chosen in place of Mbappé especially since the defender is now retired from international duty although Manchester United would have to agree to release him.

GFFN | Nick Hartland