Leicester City's N'Golo Kante and West Ham United's Dimitri Payet have both been rewarded for their excellent recent performances in the Premier League with inclusion in the France national squad for upcoming friendlies against the Netherlands and Russia.
For the uncapped Kante, it is a first ever call-up, and it was confirmed when Didier Deschamps' squad selection was announced on Thursday, per the national side's Twitter feed (via football writer Kristof Terreur):
Dimitri Payet and Ngolo Kanté in France squad. Well deserved. #whufc #lcfc https://t.co/JqG0LuzZpF
— Kristof Terreur (@HLNinEngeland) March 17, 2016
Notably, the Foxes midfielder makes the squad ahead of Manchester United's Morgan Schneiderlin, while Payet is called up for the first time since June 2015.