MANCHESTER CITY DEFENDER Aymeric Laporte has won a long-awaited international call-up for France’s Euro 2020 qualifiers against Albania and Andorra.
Laporte, who cost City £57million (€62.8m) 19 months ago, has the unwanted distinction of being the most expensive uncapped player of all time after being persistently overlooked by Les Bleus boss Didier Deschamps.
It had been previously suggested that the 25-year-old star centre-back’s attitude was to blame for his absence from the French manager’s plans.
Five domestic trophies won at City had not been enough to persuade Deschamps until now, with the former Athletic Bilbao centre-back in for next month’s internationals as Barcelona’s Samuel Umtiti misses out.
Laporte is one of 10 players included to have played no part in France’s 2018 World Cup triumph, alongside Lille forward Jonathan Ikone, who wins a maiden call-up amid the injury absences of Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele.
Tottenham’s record signing Tanguy Ndombele similarly sits out amid fitness concerns, with N’Golo Kante also not considered following his recent return to action for Chelsea. Galatasaray’s Steven Nzonzi comes in as the beneficiary.
The world champions are top of Group H on goal difference, locked together on nine points with Iceland and Turkey following a 2-0 defeat away to the latter in June.
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