Abidal - god speed with your recovery

Barcelona and France left back, Eric Abidal will need a liver transplant. He had surgery a year ago and made such a fast recovery he was able to lift the Champions League trophy for Barcelona. This is clearly a set back. I wish Eric the best and for a speedy recovery.

Clearly his ability to play for France this summer is in doubt. This will have some trickle down impacts:

• Evra will most likely slot back in as the starting left back
• If Blanc was hoping to gain an extra slot, but leveraging Abidal as both his left back and cover for center back, this is out. Does this mean Blanc takes 4 central defenders? That will get Kaboul and Koschielny back into the picture.
• Who will provide cover at left back? Will Clichy find his way back to the side? Most likely Valencia left back/midfielder Mathieu will get some serious consideration, he also offers some cover at midfield (then again left midfield is crowded). How about Lass Diarra? He would provide versatility at holding midfield and left back (he showcased there for France in the past). How about a dark horse in former Blanc player - Tremoulinas? With the Bordeaux player on the left and Debuchy on the right and you would instantly get some real dangerous players covering the wide channels.

The most important is that Abidal recovers and is 100% healthy. Whether or not we see him on the football pitch is secondary to his overall well being. Godspeed with your recover Eric.