France manager Didier Deschamps has claimed in his press conference that the decision to call Wesley Fofana up to the international squad has been a long time coming.
The 21-year-old has been rewarded for his club form with his first opportunity to represent his nation at senior level.
Fofana has stepped up into a leadership role since Thiago Silva has been sidelined through injury, and the former Leicester City man’s return could not have been more timely or effective.
Three wins in a row has begun to bring a feel-good factor back to Stamford Bridge and the role of Fofana in the three-back formation has been crucial to their success.
A number of Chelsea players will feel like they have earned the right to represent their countries in the upcoming break.
Deschamps praises Fofana
Fellow defender Marc Cucurella, who has been equally as strong in the last few games, is reportedly hopeful of a call-up to the Spain squad for the second time.
After selecting Fofana, Deschamps has claimed that only injury has stopped the 2018 winners from utilising him earlier.
He said: “I’ve never made a choice for the sake of depriving a player of that freedom. It’s happened now, it could have happened before, he had a serious injury too. It was time. Jonathan Bamba has chosen another country [Ivory Coast], they have that liberty, they can choose to do so. A national team manager’s goal is to have the best possible team at their disposal.”
The young defender will almost certainly be called upon again for the Premier League clash at the weekend when Sean Dyche’s Everton side visit Stamford Bridge.
This could continue to force Benoit Badiashile to watch from the sides, despite not really putting a foot wrong in his time on the pitch.