Ferland Mendy

Written by Luke Entwistle for Get French Football News:

Mendy's career in Bleu has been marked by fits and starts. Despite making his debut for France back in 2018, he has, at the time of writing, accrued just nine caps at international level. It is an astonishing figure for a player who was recently described by his manager at club level, Carlo Ancelotti, as the "best defensive left-back in the world". However, injuries have held him back and before this squad was named he had not made an appearance for France since September 2022. Ironically, for a player so injury-prone, Mendy could for once be the benefactor of a set-back for another player. Lucas Hernandez suffered a season-ending ACL injury against Borussia Dortmund and as a result, will miss the tournament. It is another cruel blow for the PSG defender, who suffered an ACL injury within minutes of Les Bleus' World Cup opener in Qatar. Ferland Mendy, who has staved off injury to impose himself at Real Madrid this season, profited from his compatriot’s misfortune and received what seemed an unlikely recall.