Deschamps: No Benzema return

France Coach Didier Deschamps has ruled out a return to the international setup for Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema.

The striker has not been selected in the squad since being omitted for the 2016 European Championships, despite issuing a recent plea for returning to the fold.

“I didn’t see the Benzema interview as I rarely read the newspapers,” Deschamps told reporters.

“Obviously I’ve now heard the majority of it and every player is free to talk and a lot of players don’t say they would like to play for the French national team.

“You know where I stand on this matter and that will remain if I don’t change my mind.

“My decision is taking while thinking about the group, it is not a problem.”

The Real Madrid striker scored twice during his last appearance for Les Bleus in a 4-0 friendly win over Armenia in October 2015.

However, shortly after he became embroiled in a scandal involving an alleged attempt to blackmail international team-mate Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape.

Tags Didier Deschamps France Karim Benzema
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