But they are no less effective as a result.
The man once dismissively dubbed "a water carrier" by Eric Cantona must pit his wits with Sir Alex Ferguson in the Stade Velodrome as Manchester United resume their latest quest to win the Champions League.They will do so without seven key members of their squad, including Ryan Giggs, Rio Ferdinand and Antonio Valencia, who could come into contention for the second leg in three weeks' time as he edges towards recovery from a serious ankle injury.
Yet, even with those players, Deschamps believes it is not a United squad glittering with brilliance, the mesmeric skills of Cristiano Ronaldo replaced by a more functional approach that saw the Premier League leaders concede just one goal during the opening group phase.
