Arsenal: Francis Coquelin wants a call-up to the French national team for Euro 2016

Francis Coquelin has revealed that he wants to get a call-up to the French national team for the Euros scheduled in the country next year. The midfielder has been an integral part of the Arsenal first team since the start of the year and believes he has the talent and capacity to take the next step.

It has been a remarkable turn of fate for the 24-year-old, who found himself on loan at Championship side Charlton in 2014. It was due to a series of injuries to key players at Arsenal that saw him being brought back into the mix and given a chance to play in the first eleven. The Frenchman took the opportunity and proved his excellence, and since has been an indispensible part of the team.

Coquelin believes that a similar range of progression over a full season should be enough to get him a call up to Didier Deschamps' senior side, which has a plethora of players currently striving for a spot in the team. The likes of Yohan Cabaye, Morgan Schneiderlin and Blaise Matuidi are all in the run for the defensive midfield spot and Coquelin knows that he has to put his A game to have any chance of catching attention of the French manager.

"Every player wants to represent their country and the Euros in France is something massive for any French player to be a part of," the midfielder told Arsenal's official website. "To be part of the squad would be amazing but there are loads of things to do first and the most important thing is Arsenal.

"If I play well here maybe I will get a chance for France, but the most important thing is Arsenal. As any French player would, though, you want to play for France and hopefully it can happen one day," he added.

"It would be unbelievable. I won the Under-19 Euros and it was something unbelievable as well. To win the Euros with the French national team would be even more crazy. If I perform well here, maybe I will get the chance to play for France but I think the most important thing is to stay focused on Arsenal and then things will come along," Coquelin stressed.