Chelsea star Malo Gusto will miss France Under-23s’ upcoming friendly matches against the Ivory Coast and the United States after contracting a virus.
Gusto made his senior international debut in France’s 2-1 win over the Netherlands in November but missed out on Didier Deschamps’ 23-man squad for the side’s Euro 2024 warm-up clashes this month.
Instead, the 20-year-old Chelsea full-back was put in Thierry Henry’s U23 party and had been expected to start both games of the team’s forthcoming double-header.
Looking to build momentum heading into this summer’s Paris Olympics, France take on Ivory Coast later today before doing battle with the USA in Sochaux on Monday.
Henry will be without one of his key squad members in Gusto, though, with the defender said to be feeling unwell this morning, according to French publication L’Equipe.
The report claims the right-back said his goodbyes to the rest of the group at their training base in Chateauroux and will land in London later this evening.
The youngster is likely to be replaced by either Kiliann Sildillia or Bafode Diakite on the right side of Henry’s defence.
Mauricio Pochettino will no doubt be keeping a close eye on Gusto’s health, with Chelsea welcoming Premier League strugglers Burnley to Stamford Bridge in just over a week’s time.
The Frenchman has made 15 starts in the English top flight this season, impressing the absence of injured club captain Reece James.
The Blues signed Gusto from Lyon for a fee of €30m (£26m) in January 2023 and immediately sent the defender back to the Ligue 1 outfit on loan for the remainder of last season.
Speaking to Paddy Power this week, former Arsenal and Manchester City star Bacary Sagna claimed his fellow countryman had the attributes to become ‘the best player in the Premier League’ in his position.
‘Malo Gusto and Reece James are going to have to compete for the right back spot and that’s good for Chelsea,’ Sagna said.
‘Gusto is dynamic, fast and good at one on ones. He was doing well at Lyon.
‘I’m not surprised to see him shining at Chelsea because he has all the qualities to be an important player.
‘Chelsea are in a rebuilding process at the moment and Gusto has been doing well but he can do even better in the coming seasons.
‘He has the quality to become the best right-back in the Premier League, if he keeps playing this way for a whole season.’
Pochettino, meanwhile, said Gusto had quickly established himself as one of the key players in his team following Chelsea’s FA Cup win over Leicester.
‘The plan for Malo Gusto was that of a 19-year-old player who had come from another league, France, and there were circumstances where a young kid needed time,’ the Chelsea head coach told reportedly.
‘But it’s true he played earlier than expected due to the injuries. He had to do well from the start while adjusting to the Premier League, the club, and life in a different country.
‘Malo has been affected by some injuries, which is why we have sometimes used Alfie Gilchrist or Axel Disasi in that position. But it’s no surprise that the young arrivals need time.
‘He got injured, then played, and got injured again, but now after eight, nine months, we have started to see what we expected from him.
‘I hope now he can be dependable, if he plays regularly, and starts to show his quality.
‘He is a player with a great ability to go forward and attack.
‘Like the cross against Brentford, the quality going forward is really good. He needs to improve in other areas and with time he will surely improve. I’m very pleased with how he behaves and how he performs.’
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