Samir Nasri

The Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema has said that he feels that the Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri will play a major role for the national team if selected by the manager Didier Deschamps.

The 25-year-old former Arsenal man has not been selected for the recent few matches by the new manager. He has been subject to numerous bad behaviour both on and off the field in recent years for the French national team. The new manager Didier Deschamps, who recently replaced Laurent Blanc after the Euro 2012, is placing more emphasis on the discipline within the team.

Samir Nasri was not selected for the national team for the match against Spain last month. There have been several reports that the former Lyon striker Karim Benzema has fallen out of favour with the French midfielder. However, he has surprised everyone by coming with the statement saying that Samir Nasri's inclusion will certainly benefit the national team because he is a creative player who can make a huge impact in the attacking side of the pitch. France managed a very credible 1-1 draw against the European and world champions in the World Cup qualifying match. Nasri has made 35 appearances for the French national team in his career.

"We have to leave him alone, to give him our trust and I think he will be very helpful to France because he has played at the highest level. He also has a lot of caps. We have to have faith in him. This is my opinion. We will see what the coach does," said Karim Benzema. The Real Madrid striker will not be involved in the squad for the friendly match against Italy. After this match, France will play in a friendly against Germany in March before the World Cup qualifying campaign resumes.