Tottenham Hotspur striker Randal Kolo Muani has withdrawn from the France national team ahead of this month’s World Cup qualifiers after suffering a jaw injury in Saturday’s 2‑2 draw with Manchester United, the French Football Federation (FFF) announced on Sunday.
Kolo Muani was substituted at halftime, and while Spurs manager Thomas Frank initially described the injury as “nothing big,” French media reported that scans revealed a jaw fracture.
“The Tottenham Hotspur striker suffered an injury to his lower jaw on Saturday against Manchester United,” the FFF said in a statement. “After consulting with doctor Franck Le Gall, who had previously spoken with his Tottenham counterpart, Didier Deschamps confirmed that Kolo Muani would be withdrawing from the squad.”
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RC Lens winger Florian Thauvin has been called up as his replacement.Kolo Muani, 26, has scored nine goals in 31 appearances for France and had been called up for the first time since June after missing Deschamps’ previous two squads.
France, already without Paris Saint-Germain duo Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé due to injury, lead Group D with 10 points from four matches. The team will host Ukraine at the Parc des Princes on Thursday before traveling to Azerbaijan three days later.
A victory over Ukraine would secure France’s qualification for the 2026 World Cup in North America.
