France drops injured Kurzawa, summons Amavi for senior debut

For most nations vying for a World Cup berth, losing their top two first-choice left-backs would spell disaster.

In France's case, it presents an opportunity to give a maiden senior call-up to a burgeoning talent.

Les Bleus announced Wednesday that Paris Saint-Germain touchline marauder Layvin Kurzawa picked up a knee injury in training and will not play in France's final two qualifiers, with Marseille left-back Jordan Amavi getting the nod for a potential senior debut.

France is already without Benjamin Mendy, who is sidelined for several months after rupturing knee ligaments in just his fifth appearance for Manchester City following a big-money summer switch from Monaco.

The French football federation released a statement detailing Kurzawa's condition, adding that the 25-year-old suffered a sprained MCL on Monday. No timetable for his return was provided, and PSG has yet to comment on the injury to its first-choice defender.

Amavi, who is on loan at Olympique from second-tier Aston Villa, has enjoyed a stellar youth international career for France. He played a principal role in the Under-20 side's runners-up spot at the 2014 Toulon Tournament.

The 23-year-old Amavi will now compete for a spot with Barcelona's Lucas Digne as France travels to Sofia for Saturday's match with Bulgaria three days before welcoming Belarus to the Stade de France. Amavi becomes the fifth Marseille player to get a call-up for the pair of continental clashes, joining Steve Mandanda, Adil Rami, Dimitri Payet, and Florian Thauvin in Didier Deschamps' 24-man squad.