Football

France boss Didier Deschamps reveals midfielder doesn’t want captaincy ‘deep down’

March 16, 2023 5:04 pm
France boss Didier Deschamps reveals midfielder doesn’t want captaincy ‘deep down’

France head coach Didier Deschamps has all but ruled out Adrien Rabiot taking over the captain’s armband for Les Bleus.

As reported by LiveScore, the Juventus midfielder doesn’t want the captaincy “deep down,” according to his national team manager.

France are without a captain after skipper Hugo Lloris retired from international football at the end of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar in December.

France midfielder doesn’t want captaincy

While Deschamps confirmed that it would be unlikely for Rabiot to be handed the role, the manager is more than satisfied for the midfielder to continue as normal for the national team. Rabiot scored his country’s opening goal in Qatar, netting the first goal in the 4-1 group stage win over Australia.

“Even if he has some experience, we know him well, as it is he has a possible form of leadership,” said Deschamps. “But the captaincy, I don’t know if he really wants it deep down. To let him stay as he is already will be very good.”

Mbappe also in contention

Perhaps unsurprisingly, star forward Kylian Mbappe is also in contention for the honour. The iconic attacker is just 24 years old, but already boasts 66 appearances for France.

The PSG star also scored in the opening World Cup victory over Australia, going on to net seven more times in the competition to clinch the Golden Boot.

Mbappe netted a stunning hat-trick in the final against Argentina, with his late heroics ultimately not enough as fellow icon Lionel Messi lifted the trophy.

Commenting on the captaincy and the potential for Mbappe to be handed the responsibility, Deschamps noted: “There are some that I consider possible. Kylian is one of them.

“This will go through discussions with them before I make my decision. There is a responsibility in relation to being captain, with a little more important responsibility, but I want to have this discussion internally before I make my decision.”

France

France name strong squad for Euro 2024 qualifiers

Rabiot and Mbappe are part of a very strong 23-man squad for the matches at home to the Netherlands and away to the Republic of Ireland on March 24 and March 27 respectively.

Brothers Khephren and Marcus Thuram have made the cut, with potential debuts arriving for the former, as well as for Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana and Lens goalkeeper Brice Samba. Veteran striker Olivier Giroud is also set to be involved, with the 36-year-old becoming France’s all-time leading scorer in Qatar.

There is plenty of Premier League interest through the likes of Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), Alphonse Areola (West Ham) and William Saliba (Arsenal). The talented quartet of Ousmane Dembele, Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kante and Christopher Nkunku do, however, miss out through injury.

Despite the star-studded squad and indeed the fact they reached the World Cup final not so long ago, France boss Deschamps is not taking anything for granted in the two Euro 2024 qualifying matches later this month.

“We must not tell ourselves that we are already qualified for the Euros because we were in the final of the World Cup,” he added. “We must not rest on our laurels.”

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