Deschamps leaves Barça winger Dembele out of France squad
Ousmane Dembele has not been called up by his country for the upcoming international break
Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele has been left out of the France squad for their upcoming games against Ivory Coast and South Africa.
Dembele has been in good form for Barça recently, setting up seven goals in LaLiga this season, but has been overlooked by coach Didier Deschamps.
The Barça forward has not featured for his country since 2021, when he got injured against Hungary in the group stages of Euro 2020.
Fekir and Dubois were also notable absentees and Deschamps explained: "There's no reason. Not all the cases are similar. Some are still coming back from injuries and need a longer run of games.
"Plus... I only have 23 places! Nothing is set in stone but I am also not going to change everything from one match to the next. What is obvious to me is not necessarily obvious to you (the press), I get that."
Full France squad:Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris, Mike Maignan and Alphonse Areola.
Defenders: Jonathan Clauss Lucas Digne, Lucas Hernandez, Théo Hernandez, Presnel Kimpembe, Jules Koundé, Benjamin Pavard and Raphaël Varane.
Midfielders: Matteo Guendouzi, N'Golo Kante, Paul Pogba, Adrien Rabiot and Aurélien Tchouameni.
Forwards: Wissam Ben Yedder, Karim Benzema, Kingsley Coman, Moussa Diaby, Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappé and Christopher Nkunku.
