Chelsea star expected to replace Raphael Varane for France

Chelsea star Wesley Fofana is in contention to receive his first France call-up

Wesley Fofana, who is expected to receive his first international call-up, is the favourite to succeed Raphael Varane as France’s starting defender. In order to replace Varane, who recently announced his retirement, Didier Deschamps will call players for the forthcoming international break.

On Thursday afternoon, Deschamps will reveal the selection for this month’s international break, and according to RMC (h/t Metro), Fofana has appeared as the favourite to succeed Varane as a defender for the French national team.

Before hanging up his boots, the Manchester United defender participated in two World Cups and took home the 2018 World Cup. But, as they call up defenders, the head coach of France will have a major problem finding a replacement for Varane given the depth in their centre-back position.

The 22-year-old has had a difficult season since joining Chelsea. He missed the first half of the season due to injury, but has recovered admirably and has continued to play a vital centre-back position for Chelsea.

Most importantly, his goal against Leeds United was enough to secure a 1-0 victory, which began Chelsea’s current winning streak of three straight victories.

The Blues have not missed Thiago Silva’s absence thanks to him, since his presence has also helped Chelsea keep two clean sheets in his past four games.

For the former Leicester City player, who has endured a lot this season but has made a remarkable return and is in charge of the Blues’ defence line, it would be a big morale booster.

However. France have a lot of options at centre-back, with the likes of William Saliba, Jules Kounde, Ibrahima Konate, and Mohamed Simakan. The fact that Fofana is the most probable candidate to replace Varane, aside from others, says a lot about the 22-year-old’s ability to redeem himself after recovering from a long-term injury.

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• Manchester City are exploring a move to sign Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell

Fofana has distinguished himself wonderfully and merits the opportunity to represent his national team. We can only hope he avoids getting injured, as many players do during the international break.