World Cup 2018: 5 players who can be France's 4th choice centre-back

The current French national team is rightly being seen as one of the favourites for the World Cup. The attacking prowess possessed by the team in the form of players like Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann, Dimitri Payet (Olympique Marseille), Kylian Mbappe (PSG), Olivier Giroud (Chelsea) and many more will be the envy of many nations going to Russia.

The midfield is not too shabby either with players like Chelsea's N'Golo Kante, Manchester United's Paul Pogba expected to dominate the middle of the park, providing a screen for the back four while at the same time pushing forward to support the very good attack.

The defence, especially the centre, promises to be interesting. FC Barcelona's Samuel Umtiti & Real Madrid's Raphael Varane are, injury-permitting, guaranteed to be on the plane to France and with the Achilles injury suffered by Arsenal's Laurent Koscielny in last night's Europa League semi-final against Atletico Madrid, PSG's Presnel Kimpembe is now expected to be manager Didier Deschamps' third choice centre-back.

Among the nations in the World Cup, few can compete with Les Bleus when it comes to central defensive options as the manager has a slew of quality replacements to call upon.

Here are 5 potential centre-backs that would be hoping to make the Mundial as the fourth-choice:

#5 Dayot Upamecano (RB Leipzig)

The RB Leipzig youngster can be effective for Les Bleus if picked

The 19-year-old Frenchman has been one of the standout youngsters in the Bundesliga this season and getting to the World Cup as a full-fledged international will be a confirmation of his incredible talent.

Standing at 1.85m, the graduate of Valenciennes FC’s youth set up is widely regarded as one of the most exciting center-backs in France under the age of 23.

Blessed with pace, good reading of the game as well as an intelligence belying his age, the youngster has become an integral element of the defence for his German club, RB Leipzig.

Upamecano possesses physical and technical qualities that allow him to perform brilliantly as an efficient and offensively involved centre-back, or, if the occasion demands it, as a defensive midfielder (a role he played many times for former club RB Salzburg).

This skill that he possesses to be able to play in both positions means he will be a good option to have for Les Bleus in case of injuries to a defensive midfielder or any of the first-choice centre-backs.

His ability to play out of the back means he can become Deschamps' go-to option if the manager wants to switch to a 3-man central defence.

Like some of the other names on this list, Upamecano has been capped at junior levels for France but could be set to win his first senior cap in friendlies before the World Cup.

#4 Abdou Diallo (Mainz)

The Mainz man is an outside choice to replace Koscielny

One among the new generation of left-footed centre-backs being produced seemingly en-masse by French clubs, the 21-year-old has been a revelation since joining German side SV Mainz from last season's Ligue 1 champions AS Monaco

A tough competitor who is strong in the air and quite intelligent when it comes to making a challenge, his pace is reminiscent of fellow Frenchman Varane's and like most members of the new school of French centre-backs, he is capable of functioning in different roles.

Diallo is a "6'2" guy capable of putting his height and agility to good use in helping the Les Bleus snuff out aerial threats. He is also a very capable scorer of headed goals from set-pieces as he has hit 2 goals in 29 games for the struggling Bundesliga outfit this season.

He would be good cover for the first choice Umtiti in case of injuries but his relative inexperience at this level may count against his selection by manager Deschamps.

He has been the captain of the French U-21 side since last year but is yet to be capped at senior level.

#3 Adil Rami (Olympique Marseille)

The old warhorse will fancy his chances for one last Hurrah

The oldest and most experienced of the players on this list, Rami's France career has been a curious one.

The nomadic centre-back who has played for six top-flight clubs in Italy, Spain, and France has been in and out of the French squad for the better part of a decade and earned his first cap for the team in 2010 despite receiving his first call-up in 2008.

A powerful, no-nonsense defender, Rami is old-school in his approach to the game as he is quick and strong and very comfortable in possession, often bringing the ball out of defence and looking to start attacks.

He has slowed down a bit in terms of his overlapping runs (he is 32) which would be of great help to the French team as he would be able to cover for the more adventurous fullbacks. His rugged nature means he could bully opposition strikers off the ball and help the team maintain its defensive shape.

He is set to play in the Europa League final and has had a decent enough season for Marseille where he has been an ever-present in the heart of the defence.

He has been capped 33 times for Les Bleus and will be hopeful of getting an opportunity for one last hurrah.

#2 Malang Sarr (OGC Nice)

Sarr's exploits with Nice give him a good chance of making it to the Mundial

It has been whispered in certain quarters that Sarr might just be the player to displace Umtiti at both club and national team level.

The left-footed 19-year-old was a colossus at the back for the French Riviera outfit as they surprised everyone by finishing third in Ligue 1 last season.

A tough-tackling defender who takes no prisoners and is aggressive in his tackling as well as in contesting aerial balls, the French U-20 international plays football with a calmness that belies his age and he looks ready for the move up to the senior national team.

Similar to Umtiti in terms of aggression, agility, and pace, the similar nature of both players makes Sarr the ideal player to have in the squad as Umtiti's deputy. His aggression and ability in the air mean that he can function just as well for Les Bleus in a 3-man central defence.

The defender has been linked to clubs like Barcelona on account of his performances this season for Nice with an average passing accuracy of 89.3%. He is yet to win a senior cap or even get a call-up but he will not be fazed should he be chosen by manager Deschamps.

#1 Lucas Hernández (Atletico Madrid)

The brilliant left-footer will add a different dimension to the French defence

One of the most impressive players in La Liga this season in a defensive sense, Hernández will fancy his chances of being at the Mundial irrespective of the position earmarked for him by the manager.

Composed on the ball, good in the air and possessing a finely honed sense for tackling, the versatile player is a favourite of Atleti manager Diego Simeone and has been in-and-around the squad for a couple of seasons before fully coming into his own this season.

Possessing all the characteristics of the great modern defender -- ball playing ability, aerial presence, keen intelligence and an ability to play as a left-back when demanded, he is also capable of bringing the ball out of the defence and while he isn't the tallest centre-back in the world (1.83 m), he is quite adept at aerial duels and more often than not is the go-to guy for marking deadly opposition players in the 18-yard box.

He has been great for the Europa League finalists, replacing a currently recuperating Filipe Luis as the team's left back, averaging an 83.1% passing accuracy this season.

His versatility means he could make the final 23 as a left-back given the fitness concerns around Manchester City's Benjamin Mendy and the poor form of FC Barcelona's Lucas Digne and PSG's Layvin Kurzawa.

His brilliant shielding of the ball would be great for the French team as he could perfectly complement Varane's athleticism and pace if picked. He has played for France at all levels from U-16 to U-21 and made his senior debut in the recent friendly against Colombia.