Jules Koundé set to undergo surgery for long-term hamstring issue

Didier Deschamps has never seen a half-injured player he couldn’t entrust with starting a national team game of dubious importance (right, N’Golo?), and so it’s come to pass that Jules Koundé is set to undergo surgery for a hamstring issue tomorrow — an injury he has had for “some months”.

Deschamps himself confirmed he news tonight after France’s latest disappointing result, a 1-0 home defeat to Croatia in the Nations League. Koundé started, and out of position as a right back, even, because reasons. He lasted one half before being replaced by Benjamin Pavard, an actual right back.

(Mateo Kovačić started for Croatia, alongside Luka Modrić, who scored the game’s only goal, early on from the penalty spot. The result leaves France rock bottom of Group A1, winless in four tries, with 2 points.)

Koundé’s injury is presumably not too serious if he did play, though there’s certainly a chance he might have aggravated it. He’s hardly missed any time for Sevilla over the past couple years due to injury, which is good, but a surgery now could easily delay any sort of future transfer, to Chelsea, Barcelona, Bayern, or wherever else. And it’s unlikely to result in any sort of discount either.

Hmmm...