Didier Deschamps has included Leicester City midfielder N’Golo Kante and West Ham forward Dimitri Payet in his France squad for upcoming friendlies against the Netherlands and Russia.
The Premier League duo have arguably been two of the signings of the season and their performances for their respective teams have integral to their success.
Kante, 25, has only been a professional footballer a matter of the years and his first senior call-up caps off what has been a remarkable campaign for the dynamic midfielder.
Whereas, as for Payet, it has never been a question of quality, but actually his attitude which has previously persuaded Deschamps to snub West Ham’s creator-in-chief.
However, Payet’s performances for the Hammers this season have left Deschamps no choice but to give the 29-year-old a look before the Euros in the summer, having last featured in a France squad last June.
No player across Europe’s top five leagues has completed more tackles and interceptions combined than Kante (247), whereas Payet is the third highest rated player in the Premier League (7.71 rating) after playing a direct hand in 15 goals (eight goals + seven assists) in his maiden campaign in England.
For more stats on N’Golo Kante, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
