Mathieu eager to answer France call

France defender Jeremy Mathieu insists he is ready to fill the void if fellow centre-back Raphael Varane is forced to miss Euro 2016 through injury.

Real Madrid player Varane is a major doubt for the finals after sustaining a thigh injury and he will definitely miss his club’s Champions League final against Atletico Madrid this Saturday.

Varane had been expected to partner Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny at the heart of the Les Bleus’ defence at next month’s finals on home soil, but Barcelona centre back Mathieu insists he is ready to fill in, if the 23-year-old fails to prove his fitness.

He said: “I’m ready — we’ll see what the coach decides. I hope he’ll come back as quickly as possible. If I have the chance to play, I’ll give everything I’ve got — like in every match.”

Mathieu himself has been struggling with injury ahead of the finals after he sustained a knee problem during Les Bleus’ 4-2 friendly success over Russia in March.

The 32-year-old only returned to action earlier this month, although he did feature during Barcelona’s 2-0 extra-time success over Sevilla in the final of the Copa del Rey on Sunday.

The former Valencia player has been included in Didier Deschamps’ 23-man squad for the finals, where the hosts are due to face Romania, Albania and Switzerland in Group A of the competition.

France will kick-off their campaign against the Romanians at the Stade de France on June 10 and they are available at 1.33 to secure a victory in the match, while Romania are on offer at 11.00 and the draw is priced at 4.50.