Chelsea Key Defender Withdraws From France Squad With Knee Issue

Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana has been withdrawn from France duty for their upcoming Nations League games against Israel and Italy.

Fofana was originally named in Didier Deschamps’ 23-man squad earlier this month but has since been forced to pull out after experiencing pain in his left knee following Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal on Sunday.

The 23-year-old missed the majority of last season with a serious knee injury which Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca says will cause him pain “for the rest of his career”.

The French Football Federation (FFF) (as per New York Times) announced on Monday that Inter Milan full-back Benjamin Pavard has been called up as Fofana’s replacement.

Fofana has started 10 of Chelsea’s 11 Premier League games so far this season, missing the 2-1 defeat to Liverpool in October through suspension.

He made his senior international debut in France’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Gibraltar last year and the game — a 3-0 win — remains his one and only appearance for his country to date.

The former Leicester City defender was an unused substitute in both of France’s Nations League outings last month.

France are second in Group A2 heading into the final round of fixtures.