PARIS: France defender Ibrahima Konate has been ruled out of the Nations League after suffering a knee injury, opening the way for Manchester United’s Leny Yoro to receive his first call-up to Les Bleus’ senior squad.
Konate experienced pain in his knee during training before an MRI scan confirmed he had suffered a mild sprain in his right knee.
“Konate felt pain in his knee during training and underwent a follow-up MRI scan yesterday (Wednesday).
“He suffered a slight sprain in his right knee,” the French coaching staff said in a statement.
The Real Madrid defender will return to his club to undergo a rehabilitation process.
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Konate’s withdrawal is the third from the France squad since the international break began on Monday after goalkeeper Robin Risser and Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Warren Zaire-Emery were also ruled out.
As a replacement for the former Liverpool defender, French manager Zinedine Zidane called up Yoro who has never made an appearance for the senior squad.
Yoro, 20, now has the opportunity to make his debut for Les Bleus under Zidane.
Zidane, who helped France win the World Cup as a player, will take charge of his first match as national team coach when France travel to Turkey, early this Saturday morning.
After that, France is scheduled to meet Belgium away before hosting the same opponent, with the match against Italy also taking place between the two meetings.