Aurelie SACCHELLI 07 / 01/2022 22:45 | UPDATED ON 01/07/2022 AT 11:06 PM

The team manager French men’s handball player Guillaume Gille has selected 20 players for the Euro which begins next week. Valentin Porte, tested positive on Thursday, will be there, as will Vincent Gérard.

Six days before the kick-off of the Euro, against Croatia in Szeged, Guillaume Gille decided. The coach of the French men’s handball team has unveiled a list of 20 players to participate in the competition which will take place in Hungary and Slovakia. After a preparation very disturbed by the many cases of covid and the attack with the knife of Elohim Prandi, the Blues will take the direction of Germany on Saturday , to play their only preparation match on Sunday. But one player will be missed, and not just any player. Captain Valentin Porte was indeed tested positive for covid (without symptoms) on Thursday and will therefore respect an isolation period of at least five days at the Maison du handball de Créteil. He will join his teammates as soon as possible.

Bos and Monar in the group

The goalkeeper Vincent Gérard, who had missed the preparation due to a family tragedy that occurred before Christmas, will be present. “ The numerous exchanges with Vincent and the tests to assess his state of form are conclusive and allow his integration into the group. He will join us on Saturday morning before our departure for Germany, ”said the coach. To compensate for the absence of Valentin Porte, Guillaume Gille has also decided to integrate the young Julien Bos (Montpellier) and Théo Monar (Nantes) into the group. “We have decided to expand the group with reinforcements, two young players who have already attended the selection in order to deal with any eventuality on the left-handed positions, also on the pivot position already strongly impacted by the injury of Luka Karabatic” , continues Gille. In total, ten Olympic champions from Tokyo will aim for victory at the Euro: Vincent Gérard, Hugo Descat, Valentin Porte, Romain Lagarde, Melvyn Richardson, Dika Mem, Nikola Karabatic, Kentin Mahé, Nicolas Tournat and Ludovic Fabregas,

THE 20 SELECTED PLAYERS
Guardians: Rémi DESBONNET (Usam Nîmes Gard) – Vincent GÉRARD (Paris SG HB) – Wesley PARDIN (Pays d’Aix Université Club)
Left wingers: Hugo DESCAT (Montpellier HB) – Dylan NAHI (Kielce)

Left backs: Thibaud BRIET (HBC Nantes) – Nikola KARABATIC (Paris SG HB) – Karl KONAN (Pays d’Aix Université Club) – Romain LAGARDE (Pays d’Aix Université Club)
Half-centers: Kentin MAHÉ (Telekom Veszprem HC) – Aymeric MINNE (HBC Nantes)
Pivots: Ludovic FABREGAS (FC Barcelona) – Théo MONAR (HBC Nantes) – Nicolas TOURNAT (PGE Vive Kielce) Right backs: Julien BOS (Montpellier HB) – Dika MEM (FC Barcelona) – Melvyn RICHARDSON (FC Barcelona)
Right wingers: Benoît KOUNKOUD (Paris SG HB) – Yanis LENNE (Montpellier HB) – Valentin PORTE (Montpellier HB – Cap)