Benzema injured on return to full training

France forward Karim Benzema is to undergo medical tests after leaving training injured yesterday ahead of the defending champions World Cup opener against Australia.

The Real Madrid striker has been struggling with a thigh problem since October and has played less than half an hour of football in his club’s last six games. The 34-year-old’s return to full training was curtailed by the injury with tests later Saturday due to determine its nature and seriousness, a source close to Les Bleus told AFP.

This was the first time Benzema had taken part in full training since Didier Deschamps’s squad met up at their French headquarters of Clairefontaine last Monday. Under Fifa rules Deschamps can call up a replacement for an injured player until Monday, on the eve of their first game.