Three French WC winning stars who will miss the Qatar World Cup due to injuries

Bengaluru, Nov. 2: With less than three weeks remaining before the curtain raiser of the biggest sporting event in the world, defending champions France have been dealt with a big blow with three of their biggest superstars expected to miss the Qatar World Cup.

France arguably have one of the best international squads in the world for the last few years. Their world cup winning squad arguably has had top talents almost in every position.

But the French team has slowly evolved from the side that lifted the trophy in Moscow four years ago, and there are now question marks over some of those 2018 stalwarts. Many veterans have been replaced with newer blood and in the ongoing tournament, a couple more could be forced to sit out due to injury issues.

If reports are to be believed three of 2018 World Cup winning members Paul Pogba, N'Golo Kante, and Raphael Varane could miss the FIFA World Cup 2022 due to injury issues. This could come as a major blow to the French team as all of them have been pivotal to France's recent success all along and their experience on the field could have played a significant role.

Paul Pogba is to miss France's World Cup defence as he needs more time to recover from knee surgery. Pogba hasn't played for Juventus since re-signing for them from Manchester United in the summer, damaging the meniscus in his right knee in July. He opted for surgery and was expected to join the Juventus squad this month. However, as per reports, he will have to be on the sidelines as he's still recovering.

N'Golo Kante too has been ruled out of the World Cup after undergoing an operation on his hamstring which will see him sidelined for four months. One of the best players of the World Cup last time around, the 31-year-old has been on the sideline since August 14 in Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Tottenham. This will surely be a major blow for Les Bleus.

Manchester United defender Varane too could miss out on the tournament after suffering an injury against Chelsea just one week back. Varane has since spent time at France's famous Clairefontaine training base.

The center-back is in a race to be fit for the World Cup and there is a chance of him making it to the squad just before the commencement of the tournament. However, Deschamps may not risk him further and could instead name another fit player as his replacement.