Didier Deschamps reveals why he dropped the Liverpool star for France’s match against Austria.

Didier Deschamps believes William Saliba was “more prepared” for France’s Euro 2024 match against Austria than Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate.

Despite being a significant member of Arsenal’s squad that finished second only to Manchester City in each of the last two Premier League seasons, Saliba has struggled to get consistent appearances at international level.

However, the 23-year-old was picked alongside Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano in a surprise centre-back duo for France’s first group stage match against Austria on Monday, with the latter also under fire for his club performances last season.

Deschamps’ choice proved right, as France kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 victory, with Saliba and Upamecano combining to make 12 clearances and nine recoveries while being dribbled past only once.

Deschamps discusses centre-back decision-making.

Despite a strong defensive performance, Deschamps was questioned about Konate’s exclusion from the starting lineup, with the 25-year-old coming off a season with Liverpool in which he appeared 37 times across all competitions.

But Deschamps, who has previously claimed Saliba does things he ‘doesn’t like’, defended his selection, revealing that he thought Saliba was’more ready’ for the challenge than Konate.

“I chose to play William Saliba because I believed he was better prepared than Konaté for such a contest. But I don’t want to lose anyone; we’ll need everyone,” Deschamps told reporters (via Get French Football News).

“They (Saliba and Upamecano) have only played 120 minutes together for the France national team, but they have this potential to be really solid in one-on-one [situations], and even though they could improve on some clearances, they radiated a lot of strength and composure. “We needed that against such an opponent.”

France faces a difficult assignment in their second Group D match against the Netherlands on Friday in Leipzig.

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Liverpool might make it third time lucky in the Real Madrid transfer rivalry this summer.

Latest Liverpool transfer news and gossip, with Lille defender Leny Yoro surfacing as a target for the Reds this summer, alongside Real Madrid and Manchester United.

Liverpool appear to be preparing to compete with Real Madrid for another summer acquisition.

This summer, the Reds are likely to be looking for numerous new signings. Arne Slot, the new head coach, will begin directing pre-season training next month and may help integrate new arrivals to his roster when the team travels to the United States for three friendly matches. One player that has been linked with a move to Liverpool is Leny Yoro.

The Lille centre-back has emerged as a target for the Reds during Slot’s inaugural summer transfer window.

The ECHO knows that Liverpool is keeping an eye on Yoro with the intention of making a transfer this summer, while Manchester United is also understood to be interested. However, the Reds are aware that Real Madrid is interested in the midfielder, and it is expected that Yoro would transfer to the Santiago Bernabeu due to his desire to join the La Liga giants.

However, Liverpool has a chance of beating the Spanish club to Yoro’s signature this summer. If a deal to Real Madrid fails, the Reds are ready to step up their pursuit of the centre-back.

Liverpool has faced a summer transfer war with the La Liga champions before. The Reds planned to recruit Aurelien Tchouameni from Monaco in 2022, but the France international ended up moving to Spain for a fee of up to £85 million instead.

Just a year later, Liverpool was reportedly interested in signing Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund. Despite the Reds’ long-standing interest in the midfielder, Bellingham chose to sign to transfer to Madrid, and the club lost yet another target.

Liverpool may hope for a different outcome in 2024. If Yoro prefers a move to Madrid and the La Liga heavyweights have the resources to execute the transaction, the Reds may not have much hope.

However, Liverpool appears to be sticking in the race in the hope that an opportunity may occur. Following Joel Matip’s departure, the Reds might use a new centre-back, and Yoro would be an excellent choice.