France manager Laurent Blanc has defended his decision to include Florent Malouda in his provisional squad for Euro 2012.
The 31-year-old has struggled to hold down a place in the Chelsea first team this season, but the national coach believes that his experience will prove vital in the finals.
"We can't have a national squad with only young players," Blanc said.
"With a young team, we have often had troubles and moments of fear. The tournament environment is like that.
"You need to have the experience from having played a lot of international games to perform well. Malouda has this profile, even if he's not very competitive in his club."
Malouda, who has won 74 caps for his country, is one of 12 players in contention for the France squad plying their trade overseas.
Written by
Mark Langshaw
Mark Langshaw
