For Aymeric Laporte, this season was meant to be the one where he would finally breakthrough and earn himself a regular spot in Didier Deschamps’ squad ahead of the 2020 Euros.
A few days after being called up for the qualifiers against Albania and Andorra, during which he was expected to make his France debut, the Manchester City defender collapsed against Brighton with a severe knee injury and missed the last five months.
He returned for 78 minutes against Sheffield United, which was warmly welcomed by fans and manager alike, with Pep Guardiola singling out how much the club had missed their defender.
Speaking to Téléfoot, the centre-back said: “When it happened, in my head, the truth was I thought ‘Surprise, surprise’. The day before I’m meant to be going with the France national team, blam… I wouldn’t say I’m cursed, but maybe it was misfortune. You ask yourself a bit ‘why?‘.
It now all depends on how the player fares between now and the summer, as he will be unlikely to feature in Didier Deschamps’ next squad in March.
However, if he can prove to the former defensive midfielder that he’s good to go for the upcoming competition with some great performances in the Premier League and Champions League, he might stand a chance.
Maybe helping Manchester City overcome Real Madrid over two legs could do the trick?
