France handed Maghnes Akliouche his first senior call-up on Wednesday for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine and Iceland, while in-form Liverpool striker Hugo Ekitike was left out of the squad.
Akliouche, 23, is an attacking midfielder for Monaco. He previously represented France at last year’s Olympic football tournament on home soil and has played across the youth levels.
France coach Didier Deschamps named him among seven forwards selected as Les Bleus prepare to open their World Cup qualifying campaign.
However, there was no place for 23-year-old Ekitike, who has quickly made his mark at Liverpool after joining from Eintracht Frankfurt in the offseason. He has scored in each of his first three Premier League appearances for the defending champions.
As expected, star forwards Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele were included in the squad. Defender William Saliba also returned after missing the Nations League finals earlier this summer due to injury.