Euro 2016: France call-up midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin as replacement for injured Lassana Diarra

Manchester United's Morgan Schneiderlin will travel to Euro 2016 after being drafted in as a late injury replacement by France manager Didier Deschamps. The 26-year-old was initially placed alongside the likes of Hatem Ben Arfa, Kevin Gameiro, Alexandre Lacazette and Adrien Rabiot on the standby list due to fierce competition for places throughout Les Bleus' strong 23-man squad, but has now been called up to replace the injured Lassana Diarra.

Former Arsenal, Chelsea and Portsmouth midfielder Diarra, who now plies his trade with Marseille in Ligue 1 after a stint with Real Madrid and a two-year spell in Russia, has been ruled out of the tournament due to knee trouble. The 31-year-old previously missed the 2010 World Cup with stomach issues and spent five years in international exile before returning to the fold under Deschamps last October.

Diarra's absence is the latest blow suffered by hosts France, who lost Raphael Varane after the highly-rated Real Madrid defender suffered a thigh injury. Barcelona's Jeremy Mathieu was forced to withdraw with a calf problem, while right-back Mathieu Debuchy is also out. Sevilla's Adil Rami and the uncapped Samuel Umtiti of Lyon were brought in as cover with Kurt Zouma still recovering from anterior cruciate ligament surgery.

Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho will not take part despite Uefa opting against extending his provisional 30-day suspension for failing a drugs test. Striker Karim Benzema was omitted as a result of an ongoing legal case concerning an alleged blackmail plot targeted at former teammate Mathieu Valbuena. He denies any wrongdoing although has since courted further controversy by suggesting during an interview with Marca that Deschamps' selection bowed to pressure from a racist part of France.

France are two-time European champions and open the expanded 24-team 2016 competition on Friday 10 June against Romania at the Stade de France. They also play Albania and Switzerland in Group A.