Uncapped Umtiti replaces Mathieu in France squad
Saturday, May 28, 2016
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Jérémy Mathieu has followed fellow France defender Raphaël Varane in being ruled out of UEFA EURO 2016, meaning Samuel Umtiti is promoted from Les Bleus' stand-by list.
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Centre-back Jérémy Mathieu has withdrawn from France's UEFA EURO 2016 squad with a calf problem and been replaced by the uncapped Samuel Umtiti.
Barcelona's Mathieu linked up with the rest of Didier Deschamps' players earlier this week despite sustaining the injury in the Spanish champions' Copa del Rey final victory against Sevilla last Sunday.
Deschamps initially said the 32-year-old former Sochaux, Toulouse and Valencia man would only miss the first of Les Bleus' two friendlies before the tournament, against Cameroon in Nantes on Monday, but further scans prompted him to change his mind.
Umiti, 22, was named on the stand-by list when Deschamps announced his 23-man squad on 12 May. The Cameroon-born stopper helped Lyon to a second-place finish in Ligue 1 this season, scoring one goal in 30 appearances.
Mathieu is the second France defender this week to be ruled out of UEFA EURO 2016 after the French Football Federation (FFF) confirmed Raphaël Varane would play no part in the 24-team tournament, which begins on 10 June.
Deschamps is also without Mamadou Sakho for France's home finals, meaning Laurent Koscielny and Eliaquim Mangala look to be his most likely centre-back pairing.
