France duo Karim Benzema and Raphael Varane have both returned to full training ahead of Les Bleus’ World Cup 2022 Group D opener with Australia, according to a report.
The reigning world champions have been bedevilled by injuries in the build-up to the tournament and were handed concerns over Benzema and Varane prior to making the journey to Qatar.
Ballon d’Or winner Benzema has struggled to stay fit throughout the 2022-23 season, having spent time out with a knee injury prior to dealing with muscular fatigue.
The 34-year-old missed Real Madrid’s final two La Liga games before the World Cup break and was understood to have still been a doubt for the clash with Australia on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Varane has not played since coming off with a hamstring injury against Chelsea on October 22, missing Manchester United’s most recent six matches in all tournaments.
However, in a major double boost to Didier Deschamps’s ranks, L’Equipe reports that both players have been able to participate in full training on Saturday evening.
The report adds that there are still no guarantees over both players’ chances of starting against Australia, with Deschamps not prepared to take any unnecessary risks early doors.
Benzema and Varane boast a remarkable 184 international caps between them, with the former racking up 87 appearances for the national team while the latter has 97 caps to his name.
Benzema was absent from France’s 2018 World Cup triumph during his exile from the national team, while Varane played every minute at the tournament as Les Bleus took home the trophy.
Should Benzema not be risked from the off, Olivier Giroud could potentially fill in alongside Kylian Mbappe, with Antoine Griezmann acting in the hole behind the two strikers.
