Malang Sarr named in France squad for Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics

Malang Sarr’s season on loan at Porto didn’t quite live up to expectations, with the 22-year-old playing fewer than 1400 minutes, and at one point, even getting demoted to the B team, who play in the Portuguese second division.

The once highly rated defender will surely try to improve on things next season — whether at Chelsea or elsewhere — but first, he will try to help his country to Olympic glory. Sarr was one of 18 players named on Friday to the France squad for the Tokyo Games, scheduled to take place from July 21 to August 7. Other familiar names in the squad, which can have three overage players (born before 1997), include Florian Thauvin, André-Pierre Gignac and Eduardo Camavinga.

The Tokyo Olmpics have garnered a lot of negative publicity in recent weeks, including calls for cancellation due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has not spared Japan either.

While the status of the tournament will only become clear in the coming days, should they go ahead, Sarr would miss most, if not all of preseason, which won’t help his prospects. That said, it’s unsurprising to see him prioritize what could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.