Laporte has earned first France call, says Pires
AYMERIC Laporte deserves a debut for France squad in this month’s Euro 2020 qualifiers, according to Robert Pires.
However, the Arsenal great says the competition ahead of the City defender in the national ranks makes the situation difficult.
Laporte has been one of City’s standout men this season, establishing himself as one of Pep Guardiola’s first names on the team sheet.
But his form at club level has yet to be recognised by France manager Didier Deschamps in the form of a cap for the national side.
And Pires has told Bwin that Deschamps faces a dilemma when debating whether to include Laporte in his next starting line-up.
Pires explained: “Laporte is a very good defender and has earned his new contract at Manchester City after performing so well this season.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that he deserves to play for the France national team, but he doesn’t make the squad and that’s hard to believe sometimes.
“It is not easy for [Didier] Deschamps because France have a lot of great players and Laporte faces competition from the likes of [Raphael] Varane and [Samuel] Umtiti so it will always be difficult.
“I think Laporte just needs to remain positive and keep working then he will make the France national team. He can’t be ignored for much longer.”