Leeds United star 'forced to withdraw' from national team with injury as statement released

Leeds United winger Jean-Matteo Bahoya has been ‘forced to withdraw’ from the France Under-21 squad with an ankle injury.

Bahoya suffered the injury during the first-half of France’s 3-2 win over Luxembourg Under-21s on Saturday. The speedy winger looked to have hurt his ankle and tried to play on before being replaced by Tottenham Hotspur's Mathys Tel.

France face Switzerland Under-21s in their final Euro U21 qualifier tonight but Bahoya will not be involved. The French Football Federation confirmed in a statement that the 21-year-old has left his national team camp.

The statement said: “Already qualified for the UEFA U21 Euro 2027, the French team will have to do without Jean-Matteo Bahoya and Giovani Versini for their last qualifying match against Switzerland, this Tuesday (7pm) in Orléans.

“Jean-Matteo Bahoya, who injured his ankle, and Giovani Versini, who injured his leg, both during the match against Luxembourg, will not be sufficiently recovered for the match against Switzerland, this Tuesday (7:00 p.m.) at the Stade de la Source in Orléans. They are forced to withdraw and will leave the gathering this Monday.”

It remains to be seen if Bahoya’s injury is severe or just enough to keep him out for Tuesday’s final international game, an admittedly quick turnaround from the win on Saturday. The winger will return to Thorp Arch for further assessment with an update expected this week.

Leeds boss Daniel Farke will hold his pre-Arsenal press conference on Thursday, by which point there should be clarity. The injury comes at an unfortunate time for Bahoya, who scored off the bench in France Under-21’s 2-0 win over Estonia last week.

Bahoya has found minutes hard to come by since joining Leeds on loan from Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer. The young winger is being managed carefully by Farke who tends to be patient when introducing young players from across the continent.

Leeds travel to Premier League champions Arsenal on Saturday before returning home for a game Bahoya will no doubt be desperate to feature in. The Whites host old rivals Manchester United next Sunday.