Could a France U-21 side reach the latter stages of the World Cup?

Use your imagination for a moment, and envision a situation where France boss Didier Deschamps and his entire backroom staff have been suspended just days before the World Cup.

FIFA's disciplinary committee ruled 72 hours prior to Les Bleus' group opener with Australia that Deschamps and Co. were guilty of illegally tapping the Socceroos' phones to gain insight on how Bert van Marwijk's charges would line up. Banned from the World Cup, but with a void left vacant in Group C, France is told it can field its Under-21 side versus Australia and for the subsequent clashes with Peru and Denmark.

With just days to arrange the squad, France is permitted to submit a 23-man roster of players born in 1996 or later, and FIFA chief Gianni Infantino allows those on the senior side who meet the requirements to play. As a result, Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, and defenders Lucas Hernandez and Benjamin Pavard stay in Russia while the rest of the side flies home.

French Football Federation boss Noel Le Graet gets on the horn and summons 19 others to Russia with just days to spare, forming a stacked squad of emerging talent set for stardom.

Star-studded squad

Toulouse teenager Alban Lafont gets the nod in net on the heels of 98 Ligue 1 appearances in three seasons for Les Pitchouns. In front of the 19-year-old, RB Leipzig's aerial wizard Dayot Upamecano and composed Rennes centre-back Joris Gnagnon do the dirty work, while Stuttgart's Pavard and Atletico's Hernandez slot in at full-back.

Lyon's versatile three-headed midfield starts. Lucas Tousart and Tanguy Ndombele sit in support of Houssem Aouar, a creative focus who fills the role of a key passer. In attack, Mbappe plays as a No. 9 with Kingsley Coman and Dembele out wide, filling out a talented front three with 42 senior caps between them.

Before we consider a slew of hypothetical factors and France's chances of progressing, here's a glance at the 23-man squad. Note the wealth of talent on the bench, including four stellar defenders linked with high-profile transfers:

GK: Alban Lafont (Toulouse)

DF: Benjamin Pavard (Stuttgart), Dayot Upamecano (RB Leipzig), Joris Gnagnon (Rennes), Lucas Hernandez (Atletico Madrid)

MF: Tanguy Ndombele (Lyon), Houssem Aouar (Lyon), Lucas Tousart (Lyon)

FW: Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich), Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain), Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona)

Bench: Bingourou Kamara (Strasbourg), Paul Bernardoni (Clermont); Mouctar Diakhaby (Lyon), Issa Diop (Toulouse), Nordi Mukiele (Montpellier), Abdou Diallo (Mainz); Maxi Lopez (Marseille), Christopher Nkunku (Paris Saint-Germain), Adama Diakhaby (Monaco); Jean-Kevin Augustin (RB Leipzig), Moussa Dembele (Celtic), Jonathan Bamba (Saint-Etienne)

Group Stage

Under-21 side or not, France has little trouble outclassing Australia in the group opener before facing tournament darling Peru in Ekaterinburg.

Paolo Guerrero and Renato Tapia score for La Blanquirroja, giving Ricardo Gareca's lot a one-goal advantage. It's all for nothing for the CONMEBOL upstarts as Mbappe levels seconds after the interval before Sylvain Ripoll brings on Jean-Kevin Augustin for Tousart and switches to a 4-2-3-1.

That change opens the floodgates, and France scores three goals in the final quarter of an hour in a 4-1 victory.

Six points out of six sets the table for the group closer against Denmark, and with Christian Eriksen's side three points up on Peru ahead of the South American team's straightforward match with the Aussies, a point will cement a spot in the last 16 for the Danes.

Ripoll knows a defeat will see France slide to second, yet still, the former Lorient gaffer shuffles his deck, naming an entirely different starting XI except for the full-backs, Lafont and Tousart. Pione Sisto and versatile Saint-Etienne attacker Jonathan Bamba trade second-half goals in a 1-1 draw that sees France finish atop the group.

Knockout Stage

Finishing first in Group C turned out to be a luxury, as France draws Group D runner-up Nigeria, a squad that narrowly finished ahead of Croatia courtesy of Alex Iwobi's commanding performance.

The Super Eagles provide little opposition to France, going down to 10-men when Wilfred Ndidi hacks down Coman for a second yellow. Mbappe and Aouar bag goals before the interval, and the second half goes to plan, with Moussa Dembele coming off the bench late to score a cracking half-volley on the edge of the area.

It goes three-nil to L'Espoirs as a quarter-final date with Uruguay beckons.

An inexperienced backline is outmatched by Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez, with Gnagnon having a notably poor performance.

Down a pair at the break, France can muster little in attack after La Celeste boss Oscar Tabarez brings deep-lying ball stopper Lucas Torreira on at the interval to stack the midfield. The match ends two-nil as Uruguay books a semi-final spot for the second time in three World Cups, marking the end of an admirable run for a young France side slapped together with little notice.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)