Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana and the Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram were handed first call-ups to the France squad named by coach Didier Deschamps on Thursday as the World Cup runners-up prepare to start their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign this month.

The Lens goalkeeper Brice Samba was also included after long-serving captain Hugo Lloris and his regular back-up Steve Mandanda both retired from international duty following 2018 world champions France’s defeat to Argentina in the final in Qatar in December.

Manchester United centre-back Raphael Varane has also stood down from international football, while Karim Benzema’s France career is over too. He played no part at the World Cup after suffering an injury on the eve of the tournament.

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