Tottenham Hotspur striker Randal Kolo Muani has withdrawn from the France squad for this month’s World Cup qualifiers after suffering a jaw injury in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Manchester United, the French Football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) said.
Kolo Muani was substituted at halftime and while Spurs manager Thomas Frank initially said the injury was “nothing big” French media reported on Sunday that scans showed the 26-year-old had suffered 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 on Sunday.
“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.”
RC Lens winger Florian Thauvin has been called in as a replacement.
Kolo Muani, who has nine goals in 31 appearances for France, had been called up for the first time since June after being left out of Deschamps’ last two squads.
France, who are also without injured Paris St Germain duo Desire Doue and Ousmane Dembele, top Group D with 10 points from four matches and host Ukraine at the Parc des Princes on Thursday, before visiting Azerbaijan three days later.
The 2018 World Cup winners can seal qualification for the 2026 World Cup in North America with a win over Ukraine.
