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The 2022 FIFA World Cup will kick off on 20 November in Qatar with 32 nations battling for football's biggest prize.
France are the defending champions of the World Cup. Les Blues won their second world title in 2018, defeating Croatia 4-2 in the final and are also one of the favorites heading into Qatar.
However, they will be without star midfielders N'Golo Kante and Paul Pogba, two stars who played a major role in their triumph four years ago. Neither player made Didier Deschamps' 25-man squad due to injuries.
The two players who have been touted to replace Pogba and Kante in the playing XI are Real Madrid's midfield duo of Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni. Both players are two of the most highly-rated young midfielders in football at the moment.
However, Camavinga and Tchouameni are not the only central players capable of filling the shoes of Pogba and Kante.
Below, we will take a look at three capable French players who can marshal France's midfield at the World Cup apart from Camavinga and Tchouameni.
#1 Adrien Rabiot
Juventus central midfielder Adrien Rabiot is the most experienced and reliable midfielder in the France squad for Qatar. The 27-year-old has amassed 29 caps and registered two goals for the national team.
Rabiot wasn't a member of the 2018 World Cup winning squad, and the absence of Pogba gives him room to prove his mettle on the biggest stage. He is a strong, tall, and elegant left-footed midfielder.
Like Pogba, Rabiot is an intelligent box-to-box midfielder with good link-up play, accurate passing and dribbling abilities. He creates chances for others, and also knows how to make late attacking runs into the penalty box.
The former Paris Saint-Germain star has also been in good form this campaign. He has registered five goals and one assist in 15 appearances across competitions.
#2 Jordan Veretout
Jordan Veretout is another decent midfielder in France's World Cup squad. The 29-year-old plays for French giants Olympique Marseille.
Veretout is a central midfielder, but has been deployed mostly as a defensive midfielder at club level. The former AS Roma and Fiorentina player can play in front of the centre-backs, providing cover for the defenders, while also linking up with the central midfielders.
He also has an eye for goal and could offer Deschamps' side an attacking influence in the final third. He has scored 56 goals and created 56 assists in 441 club appearances since making his senior debut in 2011 with Nantes.
#3 Matteo Guendouzi
Matteo Guendouzi has had a good 2022-23 season with Olympique Marseille and this has earned him a place in the World Cup squad. The former Arsenal midfielder has been a key member of Igor Tudor's setup this season, registering three goals and two assists in 19 games across competitions.
The 23-year-old is a versatile midfielder and can operate as a defensive, central or attacking midfielder. He received his first-ever senior national team call-up in 2019 following an injury to Pogba.
If given the chance, Guendouzi can flourish, especially in the attacking midfielder role. He has had more goal contributions (three goals, one assist) this term playing from that position.
