Being left out of France’s squad for the World Cup qualifiers will have surprised Yohan Cabaye.
The Newcastle United midfielder has been a regular fixture in Les Bleus set up in recent times, with his appearance in the 1-0 defeat to Spain in March being his 23rd cap since earning his debut in 2010. However, he has been left out of Didier Deschamps plans for the forthcoming World Cup qualifiers, against Georgia on Friday and Belarus next Tuesday.
It is widely believed that the 27-year-old has been left out of the squad due to his absence from the Magpies side for their opening two matches of the season, as he tried to force a transfer to Arsenal. The Gunners had made an offer of £10million for his signature on the eve of the campaign, and whilst this was rejected, it was enough to distract the player.
But with the window now closed until January, and with Deschamps insisting he cannot pick anyone who does not feature on a regular basis for their club side, it appears as though Cabaye has little option but to knuckle down and get on with life at St James’ Park. He did play in the 1-0 win over Fulham last week, and manager Alan Pardew is now looking to move on.
“It was important to get him out there on Saturday, it will make it easier to move on although there is a lot of talking to be done,” said the Toon boss. “We will speak with Yohan and with his representatives to make sure that we go forward hand-in-hand. The guy has a World Cup at the end of the year and he is a big part of France’s plans. He hasn’t been picked this week and I think that was a bit of a shock to him. It was only because of the [transfer] situation, because I think he’s nailed on in their team. That whole situation will resolve itself.”
Since arriving on Tyneside Cabaye has, when fit and available, been a regular fixture in the Newcastle line-up. He has made 61 appearances in the Premier League, scoring 10 goals, and he will look to add to these statistics when he travels to Aston Villa on 14 September.
