France’s Christopher Nkunku out of 2022 World Cup

France have been dealt a further injury blow ahead of the World Cup with the news that Christopher Nkunku will be unable to take part in the tournament. The RB Leipzig attacker was hurt after being on the receiving end of a tackle in training from Real Madrid’s Eduardo Camavinga.

Randal Kolo Muani replaces Christopher Nkunku on France’s 2022 World Cup roster

Nkunku was seen limping off the training field and the French Football Federation have confirmed that the 25-year-old will not travel to Qatar with the rest of the roster on Wednesday as a result. The incident left Nkunku with a knee sprain which isn’t thought to be particularly serious, but with the World Cup only a matter of days away – France’s first game is against Australia on Tuesday, 22 November – the decision has been taken to select a replacement, Eintracht Frankfurt’s Randal Kolo Muani.

The 2022 World Cup would have been Nkunku’s first major international tournament after he made his national team debut in a friendly match against Ivory Coast in March this year. Although France head coach Didier Deschamps is expected to start games with a front three of Kylian Mbappé, Karim Benzema and Antoine Griezmann, both Nkunku and veteran striker Olivier Giroud were seen as Deschamps’ go-to attacking options off the bench.

Nkunku, who has yet to score in eight caps for France, has come to the fore as one of European football’s most deadly forwards in the last couple of years. Having come through the ranks at Paris Saint-Germain, he scored only 12 times in 84 appearances in his first two seasons at RB Leipzig but has gone on to net 52 goals in 75 games since the start of the 2021-22 campaign.

Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kanté also absent from France’s 2022 World Cup roster

Deschamps’ roster selection for the tournament in Qatar has been severely hampered by injuries. Midfield duo Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kanté, first-choice picks as France won the 2018 World Cup in Russia, were ruled out several weeks ago, while central defender Presnel Kimpembé was called up onto the original roster but was forced to withdraw earlier this week due to an ongoing hamstring issue. Uncapped Monaco defender Axel Disasi has been called up in his place.

France’s 2022 World Cup schedule

Tuesday, 22 November – France v Australia

Saturday, 26 November – France v Denmark

Wednesday, 29 November – France v Tunisia