France: Hamraoui recalled after two years out, Le Sommer and Henry still out

The “new” Corinne Diacre maintains her line… within one turn. The Blues coach once again made do without Amandine Henry and Eugenie Le Sommer, the Blues’ historical figures, for matches in late October and on Thursday called up Parisian Kheira Hamraoui, who has been out for two-and-a-half years.

Besides the armband being returned to Wendy Renard, the September back-to-school list has already generated a lot of talk, with these two leaders being pushed to the back burner. The choice is at a “T moment,” as she explained at the time, but it looks like it will continue. In a sign of this revamp, Lyon’s squad, long the Blues’ mainstay, will be significantly reduced for the two 2023 World Cup qualifiers against Estonia in Creteil on October 22 and then in Nur-Sultan on October 26 against Kazakhstan. Even if it is as much a voluntary choice as it is a forced one. Stuck in the infirmary, Amel Mairi (knee), Wendie Renard (hip) and Grigj Mbok (muscle injury) will see teammates Pearl Morroni, Melvin Malard and Delphine Cascarino join Clairefontaine without them.

“The door is not closed to anyone, now I make a choice. The proof of that is in this list today, the return of some players and the arrival of young players,” Deacon explained when asked about the absence of the Lyon midfielder and striker, loaned to OL Reign ten months before the Euros in England. “I build things around certain people, trying to maintain a balance between continuity and renewal, experience and youth.”

“I’ll have to talk to” Hamraoui, warns Deacon

At the heart of this dosage is a big surprise, a bit like the one Didier Deschamps came up with before the Euros with Karim Benzema. Kheira Hamraoui, the neo-Parisian who signed from Barcelona this summer, is back. At 31, she has 36 caps but has only been selected once since Deacon’s tenure began in 2017, and that was for a few minutes against Japan (2019). The midfielder has undoubtedly used his excellent season last year with Barcelona (league, Copa del Rey and Champions League treble) to convince Deacon to give him another chance.

“I didn’t take her all season, I’ll definitely take her not because she won three titles,” Deacon responded in June, opting to keep Sandy Toletti. “I have no problem with Heira. This is a purely sporting decision. No decision is final, one way or another,” she added carefully. The player expressed her disappointment on social networks: “I miss you so much, France team… What else could I do to find you again? “.

“I’ll have to talk to her about my reasons for taking her back,” Deacon admitted Thursday, hoping to rely on her “experience” but also saying the staff would be “sensitive” to his attitude. in the locker room. “We need a combination of performance on the field and good humor in group life.”