Coming off of a convincing 4-2 victory over Russia on Tuesday, France did receive some bad news from the match.
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Barcelona defender Jeremy Mathieu, who entered the game in the second half, lasted only eight minutes, after sustaining a knee injury.
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The Blaugrana have confirmed that the 32-year-old’s injury is a torn meniscus and that he will undergo an operation on Thursday.
France has already lost one defender this year due to injury in Chelsea’s Kurt Zouma, so another extended injury could really hurt the team’s backline ahead of this summer’s 2016 European Championship.
This season, Mathieu has started 12 matches for the league leaders. The loss of the Frenchman could be critical in Barcelona’s run at a treble, given their lack of options at left back. While Jordi Alba has been ruled fit enough to play in this weekend’s El Clasico vs. Real Madrid, the Catalan side lacks depth behind Alba and Mathieu.
Thomas Vermaelen could see an increased role down the stretch depending on the length of Mathieu’s absence. The former Arsenal defender has primarily played as a central defender throughout his career, however, he is versatile enough to fill in on the wings if necessary.
