'I'm sure some France players are very happy with the departure of Benzema'
Karan Tejwani
- 21 Nov 2022 11:00 GMT
- 3 min read
France lost a huge name from their ranks in the form of reigning Ballon d’Or holder Karim Benzema this week as the forward is set to miss the World Cup.
Benzema was set to make his return to the World Cup having played in 2014 but missing out in 2018, however, that plan is now scrapped.
The forward went to Qatar with an injury worry and that was inflamed, and he is now set to miss the entire tournament altogether in a blow to him.
However, while many see this as a problem for France, former Uruguay defender
Diego Lugano says this will be a positive and he believes that because of his relationship with the French squad.
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Lugano makes Benzema claim
Speaking to Uruguayan media, Lugano said: "I am certain, because I was a teammate with some (France players) that they are very happy with the departure of Benzema."
"It depends a lot on the way the team was put together and on the care that the coach has with the player profiles, not only technical, but personality. It has a lot to do with that."
There have been critics of Benzema’s inclusion in the past, with many suggesting that Olivier Giroud has proven to be a better fit, especially given they won the World Cup with him.
Giroud has also been linking up well with Kylian Mbappe and has been working on his off-field relationship with him in recent times ahead of the World Cup in Qatar.
Touché au quadriceps de la cuisse gauche, Karim @Benzema est contraint de renoncer à participer au Mondial.
Toute l’équipe partage la tristesse de Karim et lui souhaite un prompt rétablissement 💙#FiersdetreBleus pic.twitter.com/cxXFBpgFx8— Equipe de France ⭐⭐ (@equipedefrance) November 19, 2022
France have been plagued by various injury issues in recent times and are set to miss several players across all areas of the pitch during the World Cup.
At the back, Mike Maignan and Presnel Kimpembe are out, while the World Cup-winning midfield duo of Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante are missing as well and Christopher Nkunku suffered a late injury.
