Varane withdraws from France squad

The centre-back left the pitch just after the hour mark of his country’s Nations League group-stage match against Denmark on Friday evening due to a muscular pain in his left thigh. 

Les Bleus went on to lose their competition opener 2-1 after a double from former Cardiff City forward Andreas Cornelius turned the game on its head. Karim Benzema had earlier opened the scoring for the hosts in Paris. 

Didier Deschamps’s side will now look to get back to winning ways in their next outing, against Croatia on Monday, but will be without the services of Varane. 

 

𝙆𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙚́ 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙑𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙚

Raphaël Varane (douleur musculaire à la cuisse gauche) ne pourra pas participer aux 3 prochains matchs des Bleus. Didier Deschamps le remplace par Ibrahima Konaté ! #FiersdetreBleus pic.twitter.com/eNRxkRtONn

— Equipe de France ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) June 4, 2022

Speaking post-match on Friday evening, France’s assistant manager Guy Stephan provided an update on the 29-year-old. 

"Raphael has a muscular problem behind the thigh,” he said. 

“He felt some pain. He’s going to undergo medical exams." 

Liverpool’s Ibrahima Konate has been drafted into the squad in Varane’s place, earning his first senior call-up. 

Our no.19 will now be unavailable for the remainder of France’s matches in Group A1 of the Nations League this June, against Croatia (home and away) and Austria (away).

The defender, like Victor Lindelof who withdrew from the Sweden squad earlier this week, will now hope to be back to full fitness for United’s pre-season which starts on Monday 27 June.