Benzema has not featured for Les Bleus since being charged by police in connection to an alleged blackmail attempt targeting his international team-mate Mathieu Valbuena, a case which is yet to go to trial.
The 29-year-old missed last year’s European Championship on home soil as a result, although French Football Federation (FFF) president Noel Le Graet announced in February that the decision regarding his return to the set-up rested solely with Deschamps.
‘Mbappe would star in Liga and Premier League’
Benzema was once again absent from a squad that will contest fixtures against Paraguay, Sweden and England in June.
With the returning Alexandre Lacazette and Kurt Zouma joining the likes of Ligue 1 champions Kylian Mbappe and Thomas Lemar, Deschamps has hinted that a look to the future could spell the end of Benzema’s international hopes under his leadership.
The coach told reporters: “The French team was built before the Euro, it consolidated through the competition where France managed to go to the final.
“The group continued to be in this qualifying phase [for the 2018 World Cup].
“I have a group in which there is harmony. I trust players who answered on the field, I incorporated young players because I consider that they have great potential.
“I am the only decision-maker, I make decisions in a sporting setting. For me, I always considered that a group is above everything else.
“I always make decisions for the good of the team of France. I always discuss with my technical staff before announcing the list. I’ve always acted like that, I do not change anything.”
