NT confirm Chelsea player’s withdrawal from squad – 23-year-old to ‘follow treatment protocol’

Chelsea’s Wesley Fofana has made one appearance for France, and that was in the European qualifiers against Gibraltar in June 2023.

The centre-back returned to the national team squad as Les Bleus face Italy and Belgium in the UEFA Nations League.

France manager Didier Deschamps has now been forced to make changes for these two games. The France Football Federation [FFF] have confirmed on their official website that the Chelsea player has withdrawn from the squad.

The 23-year-old has played every minute in the league and even featured in the Blues’ 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Fofana will take advantage of this international break to work on his fitness at Chelsea, after struggling with injuries in the last two years. He made this decision after consulting Didier Deschamps, who has called up Sevilla’s Loïc Badé to replace the Chelsea man.

‘After discussions with the national coach, the Chelsea centre-back will remain at his club’s disposal and use the international break to follow a treatment protocol, linked to the injuries that kept him out of action for a long time last season,’ a statement read.

Fofana arrived at Stamford Bridge from Leicester City in 2022. An injury kept him on the sidelines between October 2022 and February 2023. He suffered a serious knee injury in July 2023 and spent a year on the sidelines, forcing him to miss last season.

The withdrawal from the national team squad seems to be a precautionary measure rather than any concern of a new injury.