Lucas Chevalier (24) has slipped into the background in recent months. Heralded as France’s new No.1, his move to Paris Saint-Germain looked set to accelerate the process of unseating Mike Maignan. However, Chevalier has recently lost his place in the PSG side, and the impact of that demotion was evident during the most recent international break, according to a report from L’Équipe.
His last appearance in the UEFA Champions League dates back to 20th January. His last appearance full stop came three days later in a 1-0 win over AJ Auxerre.
Matvey Safonov has performed well in his absence. The Russian, for now, is considered the No.1 at the Parc des Princes. But despite Chevalier’s lack of game time, he was still called up by Didier Deschamps for the current international break. However, he did not feature. He is now behind Brice Samba, who played in the win over Colombia, in the pecking order.
It was nonetheless a good opportunity for Deschamps to make an assessment of the PSG goalkeeper, with less than 80 days to go until the World Cup. France’s staff found a player “lacking confidence and less reassuring than at the start of the season,” L’Équipe report.
Maignan and Samba will be included in France’s World Cup squad. The third place may be up for grabs, although the rivals for the post – Robin Risser, Jean Butez, and Guillaume Restes – have all been inconsistent in recent times, too.
