Aurélien Tchouameni, who left Friday’s training with adductor muscle pain, has been ruled out of France’s squad for Saturday’s World Cup round of 16 match against Paraguay in Philadelphia.
A medical scan on Friday revealed a tear in the groin area, sources told ESPN.
The injury is not serious, but sufficient to prevent the team’s vice-captain from Saturday’s round of 16 match and, most likely, the quarter-finals if Blues beat Paraguay.
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The Real Madrid player’s absence is a huge blow as he was a key player for Didier Deschamps. He was replaced by Manu Kone in the starting line-up alongside Adrien Rabiot.
Koné and Rabois played together against Iraq (3-0) in the group stage when Tchouameni was rested by Didier Deschamps.
If France beat Paraguay, they will face Morocco in Boston next Thursday. They will also potentially face Portugal, Spain, the USA or Belgium in the next semi-final.