Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin has revealed that he has received no contact from French national team coach Didier Deschamps as Euro 2016 moves ever closer.
The anchorman was last capped at international level with the France under-21 side in 2012 and was part of the under-19 squad who won the European Championships in 2010. However Coquelin, a regular in Arsenal’s midfield when fit, has never been called up to the full national team.
Deschamps hardly wants for options in midfield, with the likes of Paul Pogba, Blaise Matuidi, Yohan Cabaye and Morgan Schneiderlin likely to be selected for the tournament in France.
Coquelin, though, has also proven himself at the highest level over the past year and, notwithstanding his dismissal in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham, continues to impress at the heart of Arsenal’s midfield.
His consistent performances in both the Premier League and Champions League have not yet inspired Deschamps to pick up the phone but Coquelin believes his best chance of earning international honours is to continue impressing for Arsenal.
“I’m the kind of person who’s really focused on the club first,” he told the Arsenal Weekly podcast. “It’s how you play at the club that will decide whether you get to go to the national team.
“If I perform well, if it has to come it will come. I’m not really thinking about that too much at the moment because I’ve got a lot to accomplish here. But if it comes I’ll be happy. First of all I need to achieve what I want to achieve here.
“I haven’t been on the phone to him. I think he gives a pre-list of 30, 40 players and picks a squad from there. We haven’t had contact there but when it comes I hope I’m on top of the game and show I’ll deserve it.”
Though Coquelin professes himself more focused on performing well at Arsenal he has previously made plain how much it would mean to him to appear at a home European Championships where France are among the favourites to claim the Henri Delauney trophy.
“It would be unbelievable,” he said in September. “I won the Under-19 Euros and it was something unbelievable as well.
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“To win the Euros with the French national team would be even more crazy. If I perform well here, maybe I will get the chance to play for France but I think the most important thing is to stay focused on Arsenal and then things will come along.”
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Coquelin is not the only Premier League player to be disappointed by Deschamps’ decisions, with Dimitri Payet having received no call-up since June, a decision the French coach put down to him failing to replicate his performances at Marseille and West Ham on the international stage.
Despite seemingly being spoiled for choice among French players Deschamps bizarrely claimed to be monitoring Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly last month as he weighs up names for his Euro 2016 squad.
Though born in France the 24-year-old has since declared for Senegal and would be ineligible for Deschamps’ squad.
