Why was Hugo Lloris not called up to play for France against Austria and Denmark?

The France National Team’s path to a second FIFA World Cup title at Qatar 2022 has not been the most desirable. To achieve a milestone of this magnitude, something that has not happened since 1962 when Brazil did it, requires, above all, that the stars of a team are available. This will not be the case for Les Bleus goalkeeper Hugo Lloris in September’s UEFA Nations League matches.

First Austria and then Denmark are the Nations League tests for Didier Deschamps‘ team. These official matches will be used as preparation matches as the FIFA World Cup draws ever closer. That is where France would need to have its full arsenal at its disposal, which will not be possible.

Not only Hugo Lloris will be absent with France in the couple of matches in which his nation tries to save itself from a shameful relegation to League B (after winning the 2021 edition), but also elements such as Paul Pogba, N’Golo Kanté, Karim Benzema, Lucas Hernández, Adrien Rabiot and Kingsley Coman will not be available. Quite a scenario for the reigning World Cup champions.

The reason for Hugo Lloris’ absence from France’s UEFA Nations League squad in September

As happened during the Middle Ages, France is being struck by a dangerous and lacerating plague, of course in the sporting field. Many of France’s most important players are suffering from injuries that are preventing Didier Deschamps from having them available for the UEFA Nations League matches against Austria and Denmark in September. One of them is Hugo Lloris.

These matches, in addition to being aimed at saving Les Bleus ‘ prestige in the aforementioned tournament, are important for the team to perfect Deschamps’ game model as France attempts to become the first two-time FIFA World Cup champion since Brazil in 1962.

Thus, the starting goalkeeper of Tottenham Hotspur of the English Premier League and of the France National Team, in which he is also the captain, will not be able to play because he showed up to the training camp of Les Bleus with a right thigh injury, which may well have arisen in the last game he played with Spurs, the 6-2 victory over Leicester City.

While the injury is minor, as reported by the French Football Federation, it is significant enough that Hugo Lloris has been left out of the French squad for the UEFA Nations League matches against Austria and Denmark. His place has been taken by Nantes goalkeeper Alban Lafont.

Lloris, 35, has made 139 appearances for the France National Team since his debut in November 2008. He is three games away from equaling the historic Lillian Thuram as the player with the most games played for Les Bleus. Hugo, like Thuram, contributed to bring a world championship to his country.