France goalkeeper Alphonse Areola has just been handed a big blow during the international break

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West Ham United and France goalkeeper Alphonse Areola has reportedly just been handed a big blow during the international break.

Alphonse Areola has been extremely patient over the last two years, and has finally established himself as the number one goalkeeper at West Ham.

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The Hammers stopper is also now France‘s number two behind AC Milan’s Mike Maignan, after Hugo Lloris’s retirement from international football.

Areola has been in fine form for West Ham since David Moyes made him our number one goalkeeper at the start of the season, so all of his patience and hard work seems to be paying off.

There could be some bad news on the horizon for the 6ft 5in stopper though…

France goalkeeper Alphonse Areola has just been handed a big blow during the international break

According to French media outlet Score.fr, Lille’s 21-year-old goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier is really impressing Didier Deschamps and the coaches in the French national team setup.

And as a result, Areola could be the person who is ostracised from the France squad in order to accommodate the talented young Lille goalkeeper.

Having waited around for so long whilst Lloris and Maignan were ahead of him in the pecking order, Chevalier’s emergence and recent rise to prominence will be a big blow for the 30-year-old West Ham ace.

Alphonse Areola is a great goalkeeper on his day, and he more than deserves his place in the France squad.

However, he is definitely lacking when it comes to commanding his penalty area and his lack of conviction when claiming crosses is a slight concern.

Maybe that’s what Deschamps and his coaches are concerned about as well. It will be interesting to see whether Chevalier is named in the France squad at Areola’s expense next month.

If that does happen, it would be extremely harsh. However, there is no room for sentiment at the very highest level of the game, and Areola will have to ensure that he is on top form if he wants to remain in contention to play for his country.

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