Paris: Christopher Nkunku has been ruled out of the Qatar World Cup after the French forward suffered a knee injury in training on Tuesday, the French Football Federation confirmed in a statement on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old left Tuesday’s training after suffering a knee injury, to be replaced on the team by Eintracht Frankfurt forward Randal Kolo Muani.
The RB Leipzig star took a knock in a challenge with Eduardo Camavinga during the training and he had to be helped off the field ahead of the reigning champions France’s opening game against Australia on November 22.
It was later confirmed Nkunku will not travel to Qatar after tests revealed he had sprained his left knee.
In a statement, the French Football Federation (FFF) confirmed that RB Leipzig’s Nkunku left the French team’s training session on Tuesday due to an injury to his left knee.
After a radiological exam, the 25-year-old was diagnosed with a sprained knee, making him ineligible to play in Qatar 2022.
On Wednesday, France said that head coach Didier Deschamps called up Eintracht Frankfurt forward Randal Kolo Muani to replace Nkunku.
Among players from Europe’s top five leagues — the Premier League, LaLiga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1 and Serie A — only France teammate Kylian Mbappe has managed more combined goals and assists since the beginning of 2022 than Nkunku.
The 25-year-old has achieved a total of 48 goal involvements (37 goals and 11 assists) in the calendar year, with Mbappe leading the way on 57 (43 goals and 14 assists). Deschamps and the squad are due to depart for their Doha base on Wednesday.
–IANS