Laurent Blanc awarded in-form Montpellier striker Olivier Giroud with his first ever France call-up on Thursday, but there was no place in the squad for fit-again Lyon playmaker Yoann Gourcuff.
Blanc named a 22-man squad for friendlies in Paris against the United States on November 11 and Belgium four days later.
Apart from Gourcuff, who has returned to first-team action with Lyon after six months on the sidelines, Blanc also elected not to call up Patrice Evra, Younes Kaboul, Mathieu Valbuena, Djibril Cisse or Bafetimbi Gomis.
"He's a boy who's had an excellent start to the season with his club," said Blanc of Giroud, the only new face in the squad.
"In that position, I like having a player who is atypical, with his size and his ability to play with his back to goal.
"We've been thinking about it for a little while and it's the right time to reward him and to allow him to discover what the international level involves."
Giroud, 25, joined Montpellier from Ligue 2 side Tours in July 2010 and is currently the joint-top scorer in the French top flight -- alongside Paris Saint-Germain's Kevin Gameiro -- with eight goals.
Gourcuff made his return from injury with Lyon on October 15 and has looked sharp in subsequent games, scoring against Saint-Etienne last Saturday, but Blanc believes that he still requires time to find his best form.
"He's clearly making progress," said Blanc, who led a Bordeaux side spearheaded by Gourcuff to the Ligue 1 title in 2009.
"He's on the comeback trail. He's better mentally but he's not yet at his top level physically.
"It's good for him and for his club. We're following him. His club performances will be important for him to win back his place with us."
Blanc explained that Evra "needed a rest" and said that he also had some "personal problems" that required addressing.
France's game with the United States on November 11 will be their first match since they secured qualification for Euro 2012 with a 1-1 draw at home to Bosnia-Hercegovina last month.
France squad for friendlies against the United States on November 11 and Belgium on November 15 at Stade de France
Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Cedric Carrasso (Bordeaux)
Defenders: Eric Abidal (Barcelona/ESP), Mathieu Debuchy (Lille), Adil Rami (Valencia/ESP), Anthony Reveillere (Lyon), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal/ENG), Jeremy Mathieu (Valencia/ESP), Mamadou Sakho (Paris Saint-Germain)
Midfielders: Alou Diarra (Marseille), Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle/ENG), Yann M'Vila (Rennes), Florent Malouda (Chelsea/ENG), Jeremy Menez (Paris Saint-Germain), Samir Nasri (Manchester City/ENG), Marvin Martin (Sochaux), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich/GER)
Forwards: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid/ESP), Kevin Gameiro (Paris Saint-Germain), Loic Remy (Marseille), Olivier Giroud (Montpellier)
Source: AFP
