World Cup 2018: 3 players who should not be in France's 23-man squad

With the FIFA World Cup edging closer as days passed by, each of the 32 teams have been busy releasing their preliminary and final 23-man squads for the competition.

Yesterday evening, Didier Deschamps released a list of 23 players he will be taking with him to Russia, with 11 others being held on a standby as back-up options if an injury occurs.

France are one of the favourites to win this year's competition, courtesy of their vast squad depth. However, this is also a major reason which has caused a selection headache for Deschamps - despite selecting a side who are more than capable of winning the World Cup.

Here are three players who should not have been picked for this summer's tournament in Russia.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and they do not necessarily represent the views of Sportskeeda.

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#3 Thomas Lemar

Thomas Lemar was a surprise inclusion ahead of Anthony Martial in the final squad

Despite having a plethora of depth in the attacking department, it is rather surprising how Deschamps opted for Thomas Lemar to be included in his World Cup squad.

The attacker, who is versatile enough to play in creative midfield roles, has netted three goals and created eight assists across all competitions for Monaco this season - in 37 appearances.

While the football world has been going crazy over his rejection, Anthony Martial definitely would have been the better choice over his compatriot. The Manchester United forward appears to be the better option in the goalscoring department, with 12 goals and seven more assists across all competitions - having played six more games this term.

Instead of Lemar though, Martial would have been a more deserving option for selection ahead of next month's tournament.

#2 Olivier Giroud

Olivier Giroud has scored only 10 goals in 39 games this season

39 games, 10 goals and an assist. Ask yourself, will that much firepower be enough for Didier Deschamps' men if they want to lift the World Cup in Russia? Giroud is another surprising inclusion, despite the boss having better options at hand.

Taking a look at Sevilla's Wissam Ben Yedder would have been a good idea for Deschamps. Although he is on the standby list, the 27-year-old has had one of his best goalscoring seasons - netting 19 goals in 37 games, finishing as Sevilla's top goalscorer too.

His substitute performance against Manchester United in the Champions League quarter-final is a solid proof that he can handle high-pressure situations as well.

All we can do is pray that Deschamps' decision to select Giroud - who he rates highly - does not backfire in the World Cup.

#1 Benjamin Mendy

Benjamin Mendy has not played enough minutes to justify his inclusion in the World Cup squad

With all due respect, Benjamin Mendy has all the traits a player needs to have in order to represent his nation at the World Cup. However, it's the scarce playing minutes under his belt this term for Premier League champions Manchester City that make him look like a doubtful choice for the tournament.

Astonishingly, the 23-year-old has played a paltry 452 minutes across all competitions this season; he was sidelined from September to mid-April following a serious knee ligament injury. Even following his return, he played just 62 minutes of football for City in three fixtures.

I'm not saying that he doesn't have what it takes to be in the national squad, but Deschamps should have gone for someone like Layvin Kurzawa - who has ample minutes under his belt and would be deserving of selection as a result. The PSG left-back has netted five goals and created another three in 28 games across all competitions, despite not playing as much as he would have liked to himself.

With all of that in mind, it remains to be seen if Benjamin Mendy can fulfil the expectations of his coach and fellow countrymen in Russia - particularly during the business end of the tournament, where pressure will be on.