France head coach Didier Deschamps has responded to claims that 2022 Ballon d'Or winner Karim Benzema is set to rejoin the French squad and star at the rest of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
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Earlier this week, it was suggested by certain sections of the French media that the 34-year-old could recover in time to return to the squad for the remainder of the tournament.
After accepting his initial call-up, Benzema was forced to withdraw due to a muscle injury, with Deschamps choosing not to replace him with another forward.
The 2018 World Cup-winning coach, speaking to media this week, hinted that the Real Madrid talisman's return to the camp has never been under consideration.
"Wow. Well, I'm not sure [what to say], that's really not something that I'm thinking about," he said, according to the Metro.
"You seem to know a lot about the situation but I haven't really been following who has been saying what.
"I talked to Karim after he left and you know the situation, and we heard how long it was going to take for him to recover.
"So I don't really know what you're trying to imply. I have 24 players in my squad and I'm happy with the squad I have.
"Some players are missing, [Presnel] Kimpembe and [Paul] Pogba are missing too, and of course I talk with them.
"But it's up to you if you want to speculate and imagine scenarios. That's not what I'm focusing on at the moment."
Benzema has only ever represented France at one World Cup, the 2014 edition in which Les Bleus crashed out at the quarter-final round.
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