PARIS (AP) – Magnes Akriucé received the first call from France for upcoming World Cup qualifiers for Ukraine and Iceland, but there was no team for the innovation of Liverpool striker Hugo Ekicchike on Wednesday.
The 23-year-old Akliouche was a member of the French team in the Olympic football tournament in the home soil last year and is a Monaco offensive midfielder who played for his country’s youth team.
He was one of seven forwards called by Didier Deschamps as France is ready to launch its World Cup qualifying campaign.
The list did not include Ekitique, 23. He established himself as a starting striker at Liverpool, scoring in each of the first three games of the Premier League champions following an offseason move from Eintro Chat Frankfurt.
As expected, star players Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele were selected, but centre back William Saliba came back after missing out on the Nations League final due to a summer injury.
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