Camavinga reports for France under-21s, bruised but smiling

Eduardo Camavinga has a “huge bruise” on his left foot and is undergoing treatment ahead of the game against Ukraine, France under-21 coach Sylvain Ripoll said on Tuesday.

The 18-year-old Real Madrid midfielder went off at half-time on Sunday in the Liga loss to Espanyol.

He “suffered a severe blow on the top of the left foot, with a huge bruise”, said Ripoll, adding that Camavinga was undergoing treatment at the French training centre at Clairefontaine and would not train Tuesday. 

“We will see for tomorrow,” Ripoll added, without saying whether he thought Camavinga would be fit to face Ukraine in a Euro-23 under-21 game in Brest on Friday.

Camavinga made his full international debut for France last September against Croatia in the Nations League. He made his only start in October, scoring against Ukraine in a friendly but after one more appearance off the bench later that month dropped back down to the under-21s.

“Eduardo went through a less good spell,” said Ripoll on Tuesday. “He set the bar so high, and there was this uncertainty around his future.”

Camavinga left French club Rennes for Real Madrid at the end of August and quickly became a regular at his new club, appearing in five Liga games and two Champions League matches.

The transfer, said Ripoll, “freed him from a weight. It was good that things were clear, and he made a successful start. He has rediscovered his smile”.