Arsenal forward Alexandre Lacazette has earned a long-awaited return to the France national team after a year out of the squad.
The Frenchman last played for Les Bleus in November 2017, when he scored a brace in a friendly against Germany, though he was rather surprisingly left out of subsequent squads – including the side that won the World Cup in Russia.
He was also omitted from Didier Deschamps’ latest squad against the Netherlands and Uruguay, but injury to Anthony Martial sees Lacazette finally make his return.
After starting the first three Premier League matches of the season on the bench, the 27-year-old has become a mainstay in the Arsenal starting XI, netting five times and laying on three assists.
Deschamps has been happy with Lacazette’s return to form though initially favoured Martial – though the Manchester United star was not passed fit by France’s doctors upon reporting to Clairefontaine. Read more