Milan striker Olivier Giroud looks as if he will start France’s World Cup opener against Australia, as Karim Benzema sustained a new injury and could even be in doubt for the whole tournament.
It would be a devastating blow for Les Bleus to lose the Ballon d’Or winner, who took Real Madrid to the Champions League and Liga titles.
According to L’Equipe and RMC Sport, Benzema resumed training with his teammates today after a spell working separately due to a knee issue.
He participated in the game between ranks, but then limped off early with a thigh issue and is going to have emergency tests this evening.
There are genuine fears that Benzema might be forced to pull out of the France squad for the World Cup in Qatar.
This means a promotion for 36-year-old Giroud, who has been playing practically non-stop this season for Milan, scoring nine goals and providing five assists in 19 games at club level between Serie A and the Champions League.
Giroud has 49 goals in 114 senior caps for France and could well become the first-choice centre-forward for his country in this tournament.
They’ve still got mbappe. Which isn’t bad. Obviously with Benzema it would have been a strong front 2