FIFA World Cup: Kolo Muani replaces Nkunku in France's squad
What's the story
France coach Didier Deschamps has called up Eintracht Frankfurt striker Randal Kolo Muani in place of the injured Christopher Nkunku for the FIFA World Cup 2022. RB Leipzig striker Nkunku had earlier suffered a leg injury in training on Tuesday. This ruled him out of the event in Qatar. Notably, Kolo Muani has scored 8 goals in 23 appearances for Frankfurt this season.
Nkunku
Nkunku suffered a leg injury to be ruled out
25-year-old Nkunku is the Bundesliga's top scorer with 12 goals in 15 games for RB Leipzig. Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga appeared to have caught Nkunku with a challenge in training and this proved to be severe. Nkunku's presence from the bench would have lifted France. He guarantees goals and not playing the World Cup now will leave him gutted.
Kolo Muani
Kolo Muani has been impressive this season
Kolo Muani has been impressive in the 2022-23 season for Frankfurt. In 14 Bundesliga matches, he has amassed five goals and nine assists. In six Champions League games, Kolo Muani has scored two goals. In two DFB-Pokal matches, Kolo Muani has piled up one goal and an assist. As per Opta, four of his five Bundesliga goals have come from inside the box.
Stats
Kolo Muani's career stats
Before playing for Frankfurt, Kolo Muani was at Ligue 1 side Nantes. In 87 matches for Nantes, he managed a total of 23 goals. Interestingly, 21 of his goals came in Ligue 1. He also managed a total of 10 assists for the club in all competitions. Meanwhile, Kolo Muani has played just two matches for France, coming on as a substitute.
Injuries
FIFA World Cup: France's injury concerns
Nkunku is another addition to the list of injured players for France to be ruled out of the World Cup. Earlier, midfielders Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante were ruled out. And then, defender Presnel Kimpembe, who was in the squad, spoke to the management about him not recovering from an Achilles injury. France called up Axel Disasi as Kimpembe's replacement.