Striker David Trezeguet has been recalled by French coach Jacques Santini yesterday to join the squad for their next two European Championship qualifying matches against Slovenia and Malta.

Santini, though, has already indicated that Trezeguet will not start the first match against Slovenia.

Trezeguet, who has not played for France since the European champions crashed out in the first round of the World Cup in June, will replace AJ Auxerre's Olivier Kapo, out because of a calf injury.

Trezeguet, who resumed playing for his club Juventus last week after a two-month injury lay-off, was not part of the initial squad issued by Santini last week.

"As Kapo was out for good I have reviewed the situation with my staff and we have considered Trezeguet was fit enough to play for France," Santini said yesterday morning while players were arriving at the French training camp of Clairefontaine outside Paris.

"But as he (Trezeguet) was not part of the first list it sounds logical to me that he should not start the match against Slovenia on Saturday," Santini said. "He'll play against Malta."

Trezeguet twice hit the bar against Senegal and Paraguay at the World Cup finals but scored the golden goal in the final of the 2000 European Championships against Italy.

He is not a first choice player any more, according to Santini.

"I have considered for a while picking Nicolas Anelka. But we realised we already had two guys, Thierry Henry and Steve Marlet, who play in this style.

"Actually David is more like Kapo and that's the reason why he will join us on Wednesday," Santini said.

Trezeguet was absent from France's last two outings in Tunisia in August and in Cyprus last month.

He is far from certain to play at all on Saturday even though he scored an injury-time winner in the 3-2 victory over Slovenia at the Stade de France last year.