France football is at a very high level right now and no one would have predicted this after their abysmal performance at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
They have finished as runners up at the last Euros and have tasted World Cup glory at the 2018 edition at Russia. Every now and then we see a thread about how strong their second and third best line-ups are, suggesting their fantastic squad depth. Here are three players who were unlucky to miss out on the 26-man list for the Euros:
1) Dayot Upamecano: Centre back is definitely one of France’s strongest positions in terms of options to choose from. While players like Ibrahima Konate and the now-Spanish player Aymeric Laporte have never even played for France, it is Upamecano who deserved it the most. The former RB Leipzig defender is one of the most promising centre backs in the world. He might not be as good as Varane or Kimpembe yet, but deserved a place in the squad as he has a bright future ahead of him.
2) Nabil Fekir: Despite being one of best players in his position in La Liga, Nabil Fekir hasn’t been under the limelight since moving to Real Betis. Fekir has registered over 10 goal involvements in each of his two seasons in Spain, which is a decent record from the CAM position. France lack a proper attacking midfielder, which could have increased Fekir’s stock in the squad. Fekir has 25 appearances for France, which clearly shows he was a part of the plan at some point of time.
3) Theo Hernandez: Theo Hernandez should feel hard done by after being snubbed for the Euros after spending two quality seasons with AC Milan. The PSG-linked defender is one of the best left backs in the world. The current French left back is his brother Lucas Hernandez who is more suited to the CB role. Theo is not only a good defender, but is very potent in the opposition half as well. He has 13 goals in 66 matches for the Italian side, but is yet to earn his French cap.