Koscielny looking for Euro berth

France defender Laurent Koscielny says that he is honoured to have been included in Laurent Blanc’s provisional squad for Euro 2012.

The former Bordeaux manager announced a list of foreign-based players, including Koscielny, on Thursday, with a second list of Ligue 1-based players to follow.

Koscielny said he is delighted to have been considered by Blanc, and has vowed to keep working hard to ensure that he makes the final cut, although he knows that he is not guaranteed a spot in Ukraine and Poland.

“I’m very happy, and very proud. I’m happy to have been included in the preliminary list,” he told Le Parisien.

“I know that my participation at the Euros is not guaranteed since some players called up will not necessarily be in the final list of 23 who will go to Ukraine.

“I’m not there yet, but I will do everything to be there. It’s great to be there. This is my reward for the hard work and progress in recent seasons.”

Another defender named by Blanc in his initial squad is Valencia’s Adil Rami, who said that he was confident that he would be an asset to his nation in June.

“I’m optimistic. It gives me great pleasure to be called up to a tournament of this level. Physically, I’m ready to participate in this tournament,” he told RMC.

France kick off their Euro 2012 campaign against England on June 11, before going on to face Ukraine and Sweden.