With the World Cup firmly behind them, France now need to move onto a new chapter, especially after the retirements of Raphaël Varane and Hugo Lloris.
The latter’s decision to stop representing his country will have a lasting impact on future squads, which could open a door for Leeds United’s Illan Meslier.
To date, the young goalkeeper has been blocked by the likes of Lloris and Steve Mandanda, while Mike Maignan and Alphonse Aréola have often been the favoured third choices by Deschamps.
However, with the two veterans calling it a day on an international level, the France manager will need to give new players a chance, with Foot National believing the Leeds star deserves a shot.
When it comes to the goalkeeper role, they say the Leeds man ‘seems to have acquired enough experience abroad and with Leeds to make a path for himself’ with the France national team.
As things stand, it’s widely expected for Maignan to be the next number one, but he doesn’t have a status like Lloris did yet, and that could play in Meslier’s favour going forward.
After all, few can fault the Leeds goalkeeper’s performances over the past few years despite the Whites’ struggles in the league.
