Benzema had a knock on the knee, says France coach Deschamps
The France international had to leave the pitch in his side’s victory over Bulgaria, raising concerns over his presence at Euro 2020.
Didier Deschamps
, the world champions’ coach, revealed that
Karim Benzema
sustained a “knock” that is going to need more checking after France finalized their preparations for this summer’s Euro 2020.
The Frenchman had to walk off in the first half of France’s win over Bulgaria on Tuesday. France will have their European Championship opener in a week, going against Germany on June 15, and watching the 33-year-old limp from the pitch prompts concerns for his national team.
However, Deschamps did not explain his assessment thoroughly, telling
TF1
:
"It's a knock on the knee, which also affects the muscle. He felt he was getting stiff so he asked to be subbed.
"The medical staff are taking care of him."
France are delighted that Olivier Giroud, who was leading the line in 2018 when they became World Cup champions, is ready to replace Benzema.
Giroud met the back of the net for the 45th and 46th time in the second half of the game and is sitting close to all-time top scorer Thierry Henry, with 51 goals.
"
Taking into account the situation in which he arrived, psychologically and especially physically, I had planned to bring him in for less time,"
Deschamps added.
"He's still a scorer, with a foolproof mind. I'm not going to complain, and the squad will need it too. We will need all our strength. He is part of it too, [that's] good for him and the France team.
"I think he has played more tonight than the last three months combined."
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