Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema, Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho and Manchester United midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin missed out on the France squad for Euro 2016, but Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud and Leicester City midfielder N'Golo Kante managed to find a place in the 23-man list. France are the hosts of the European Championships, with Didier Deschamps' men, naturally, one of the favourites for the title.

Benzema was expected to be left out of the squad, owing to an ongoing investigation in a blackmailing scandal involving France teammate Mathieu Valbuena. Benzema was put under suspension last December, and as a result finds himself out of the squad, with Valbuena also not selected by Deschamps for the quadrennial tournament.

Sakho was not considered after testing positive for an illegal substance during Liverpool's Europa League game against Manchester United. The French defender has not played for Liverpool since, either.

Schneiderlin has been in and out of the Manchester United team this season, and with Kante having a stunning season with Leicester City, as they went on to clinch one of the most historic titles in the Premier League's history, the former Southampton midfielder could only find a place in the reserve squad. Kante was rightly rewarded for his brilliant season, where he was the driving force behind Leicester's title run.

Alexandre Lacazette, the flavour of last summer, after an impressive campaign with Lyon, could not force his way into the 23-man squad, while in-form Hatem Ben Arfa was also only named in the reserves, with Deschamps preferring veteran forward Andre Pierre-Gignac, who now plays for Mexican club UANL Tigres.

The other forwards in the squad include Antoine Griezmann, who has had an outstanding campaign with Atletico Madrid, Dimitri Payet, West Ham's best player this season, Kingsley Coman, making a name for himself following a loan move to Bayern Munich from Juventus, and Anthony Martial, one of the few bright spots in another forgettable campaign for Manchester United.

France have a strong midfield with Paul Pogba and Blaide Matuidi leading the way, while the defence is where Euro 2016 could be won or lost.

Euro 2016 begins on June 10, with France playing Romania in St. Denis.

France squad for Euro 2016: Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Benoit Costil (Rennes)

Defenders: Bacary Sagna (Manchester City), Lucas Digne (AS Roma), Raphael Varane (Real Madrid), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal), Eliaquim Mangala (Manchester City), Jeremy Mathieu (Barcelona), Patrice Evra (Juventus), Christophe Jallet (Lyon).

Midfielders: Paul Pogba (Juventus), Blaise Matuidi (Paris St Germain), N'Golo Kante (Leicester City), Yohan Cabaye (Crystal Palace), Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle United), Lassana Diarra (Marseille).

Forwards: Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid), Anthony Martial (Manchester United), Olivier Giroud (Arsenal), Dimitri Payet (West Ham United), Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich), Andre-Pierre Gignac (UANL Tigres).

Reserves: Alphonse Areola (Villarreal), Morgan Schneiderlin (Manchester United), Adrien Rabiot (PSG), Hatem Ben Arfa (Nice), Kevin Gameiro (Sevilla), Alexandre Lacazette (Lyon), Samuel Umtiti (Lyon), Djibril Sidibe (Lille).