Clearly, a sign of bad luck escorts Lucas Hernandez’s footsteps. His rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee contracted Wednesday evening in Dortmund has the double consequence of depriving him of the end of the continental adventure at club and, in the process, of closing the doors to him of Euro 2024 in Germany.
His two previous competitions with the Blues had already exuded a bitter taste. He was injured in a meniscus against Portugal during Euro 2021 (2-2), then, we remember, was injured during the first meeting of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Victim of a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, he then left in the 13th minute of the match against Australia (4-1), leaving his place to his brother Théo, who would continue the epic with the Blues until the final.
So Didier Deschamps is forced to rethink his plans two weeks before the communication of his list of 23 or more on May 16 at 8 p.m. on TF1. The starting position will logically fall, once again, to the younger Hernandez. And behind? According to our information, the coach should reconsider the candidacy of Ferland Mendy (9 selections, 6 starts and 3 appearances).
The Real Madrid full-back, starting Tuesday for the Champions League semi-final against Bayern Munich (2-2), has not played with the tricolors since a defeat in the Nations League against Denmark (2-0) , September 25, 2022. But he is used to major events, particularly in C1. This argument is likely to weigh with the coach and his staff. Almost 29 years old, he will be on June 8, the Merengue also seems to be finally relieved of recurring physical harassment.
Versatile, it can also be used in straight lanes. Above all, this season he exudes a form of maturity in the game and consistency in performance. He was called up in June 2023, in the absence of Lucas Hernandez, for the double meeting against Gibraltar, then Greece in the Euro 2024 qualifiers before giving up due to a shin problem.
Carlo Ancelotti, his coach at Real, is full of praise for him. “He is complete and very strong in one-on-ones, but also in two-on-ones which often come his way, because he has Vinicius in front,” explained the transalpine coach last February. “I will say it again, Mendy is the best in the world in his position,” continued the technician after the quarter-finals of the Champions League against Manchester City.
Digne and Camavinga, the alternatives
Asked about the player’s rare appearances with the Blues, Deschamps said, however, this last August in an interview with L’Équipe. “It’s a question of competition. And without being mean, the last episode, in June, is not really to its credit. He was selected on Thursday, and I was informed a week later, the day before the rally, that he could not join us because he was undergoing treatment. » Since then, water has flowed under the bridges. On many occasions in the past, the coach has shown his ability to put in the towel and always prioritize the best interests of the France team.
On the left, there is also the experienced and discreet Lucas Digne preferred to a certain… Ferland Mendy at Euro 2021. Having become a starter again at Aston Villa after a slump this winter, the double French champion with PSG (2014 and 2025) remains, from the top of its 46 capes (the last in June 2022), a viable solution. He was also present at the 2014 World Cup, then at Euro 2016. He therefore has experience of the final stages and knows how to blend into group life.
Quentin Merlin (Marseille) and Adrien Truffert (Rennes) start from far too far. Unless, in the end, the boss of the Blues opts for Eduardo Camavinga to double the position as he did in Qatar. In which case he would undoubtedly add another midfielder to his list. When Mendy had to give up in June 2023, Deschamps replaced him with Jordan Veretout and stressed that “Cama” would act as a backup to Théo Hernandez just in case.
This is the second official package for the Euro after that of Boubacar Kamara operated in February for a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament of the right knee. Pessimism also prevails regarding the presence of Kingsley Coman with a hamstring injury against Cologne on April 13. The hypothesis, depending on its recovery capacity, of seeing it appear in a potential expanded list, cannot be completely excluded at this stage.
