France manager Didier Deschamps has ruled out a return for Karim Benzema in his World Cup squad ahead of Sunday’s final against Argentina.

Benzema was removed from Les Bleus World Cup squad on the eve of the tournament after aggravating a thigh injury.

But after recovering and back at training at Real Madrid, the 2022 Ballon d’Or winner was reported to have communicated with coach Didier Deschamps for a possible return to the squad.

However, Deschamps has dismissed the reports and insisted he will only be working with the 24 players currently in the squad.

“I know that some players have been injured, Karim Benzema is one of those, Lucas Hernandez got injured in the first game and from that point onwards I’ve got 24 players in my squad,” Deschamps told reporters ahead of the final.

“It is not up to me to decide who comes to watch the game, former players or injured players, it really isn’t up to me.

“They are the players at my disposal. So I don’t think it is fair to those players to ask about players who aren’t here.”

The gaffer added: “It is not up to me to decide who comes to watch the game, former players or injured players, it really isn’t up to me.

“I focus on my squad and the players at my disposal. I lost those players from my squad even though they were in it to begin with.”