Cherki appears to snub Deschamps after France's 3-0 rout of Sweden at World Cup

Rayan Cherki appeared to blank France head coach Didier Deschamps in an awkward post-match exchange after Les Bleus beat Sweden 3-0 in their World Cup round-of-32 fixture in New Jersey, with footage of the incident circulating widely after the game.

The Manchester City midfielder was introduced from the bench in the 85th minute, replacing Kylian Mbappe for the closing stages. When Deschamps approached him on the pitch at full time, Cherki initially failed to acknowledge his manager before eventually offering a brief greeting, then crouched to pull up his socks while Deschamps continued trying to engage him in conversation.

On the pitch, France were largely comfortable. Mbappe scored twice and Bradley Barcola added a third as Deschamps’ side secured their place in the last 16, where they will face Paraguay on Saturday in Philadelphia.

The incident adds an undercurrent of tension to what was otherwise a straightforward evening for France. Cherki, who joined Manchester City in a high-profile summer move, has yet to nail down a starting berth under Deschamps and will be hoping for more minutes against Paraguay.

Deschamps, who rejoined the squad after travelling back to France following the death of his mother, spoke warmly about the group’s unity in the build-up to the Sweden match. “The squad was united. They did what was needed while I was away, and it was better that I wasn’t there, both for them and for me,” he said. “But once I returned, they knew I was with them, and that’s a very good thing.”

The coach was measured in his assessment of the victory itself, cautioning against complacency ahead of the Paraguay tie. “We’d seen the other knockout matches. It’s tough for everyone. It was less of a struggle for us because we executed our game plan very well, but we’ve only just reached the round of 16. We know what awaits us in four days.”

Whether the visible friction between Cherki and Deschamps has any bearing on the playmaker’s involvement against Paraguay remains to be seen, but the footage is unlikely to go unnoticed inside the France camp.