Ntep handed France call-up

Uncapped Rennes forward Paul-Georges Ntep has been handed a call-up to the France squad for their upcoming friendlies with Belgium and Albania.

The Euro 2016 hosts take on Belgium on June 7 before visiting Albania six days later.

And coach Didier Deschamps has given Ntep the chance to prove his worth on the international stage after catching the eye in Ligue 1.

Ntep has scored nine goals for Rennes this campaign, leading to speculation linking him with Premier League side Liverpool.

There are few surprises elsewhere in the squad, with Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba selected after making his return from a hamstring injury earlier this month.

However, with the Belgium clash taking place a day after Juve's UEFA Champions League final with Barcelona, Pogba and team-mate Patrice Evra will not feature in the first friendly.

Joining Ntep among the forwards is Ligue 1's young player of the year Nabil Fekir and Player of the Year Alexandre Lacazette.

Squad in full:

Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (captain) (Tottenham), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Stephane Ruffier (Saint-Etienne)

Defenders: Patrice Evra (Juventus), Christophe Jallet (Lyon), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal), Eliaquim Mangala (Manchester City), Bacary Sagna (Manchester City), Mamadou Sakho (Liverpool), Benoit Tremoulinas (Sevilla), Raphael Varane (Real Madrid)

Midfielders: Yohan Cabaye (Paris Saint-Germain), Maxime Gonalons (Lyon), Geoffrey Kondogbia (Monaco), Blaise Matuidi (Paris Saint-Germain), Paul Pogba (Juventus), Dimitri Payet (Marseille), Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle United)

Forwards: Nabil Fekir (Lyon), Olivier Giroud (Arsenal), Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Alexandre Lacazette (Lyon), Paul-Georges Ntep (Rennes), Mathieu Valbuena (Dynamo Moscow).