Lens striker Florian Thauvin crossed paths with France manager Didier Deschamps on Monday evening at the UNFP Awards, but he didn’t pick up any hints about whether he’ll make the World Cup squad.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Thauvin said: “I saw the coach (Didier Deschamps) yesterday, like many people in football, but it was very brief. As he said on the microphone, everything is already clear in his mind.” Thauvin had just returned from the UNFP Awards, where he was named in the Ligue 1 Team of the Season but lost out to Ousmane Dembélé for the Player of the Year award.
Thauvin has one final chance to impress before Deschamps announces the France squad for the World Cup, when Lens host PSG on Wednesday evening (9pm, rescheduled match). However, the 29-year-old doesn’t believe that fixture will change anything.
“I’m part of the pre-selection list,” Thauvin added. “After that, I don’t have any more information about the initiative. It’s already good to be on the pre-list, but it’s not new – it’s been almost two years now.”
Thauvin made his return to the French national team during the October international break, more than six years after his last appearance. He even scored his second international goal in a 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Azerbaijan. However, he was not included in the squad for France’s tour of the United States in March.
