France coach Laurent Blanc has announced the first of two lists of players who will contribute to the final 23-man squad for the European Championship.

The former Manchester United defender has named 12 players who ply their trade outside France, with the second list of players set to be announced on Tuesday.

“We have a peculiarity in France in that the league ends after the other major leagues. Many of the players abroad will stop on 13 May,” Blanc said.

“For this reason, and to keep them involved, we have drafted an initial list containing some of them.”

The biggest news in the squad is the return of Newcastle winger Hatem Ben Arfa, who has been in scintillating form this season.

There are no real surprises in the squad, although Chelsea midfielder Florent Malouda has been included in spite of the lack of playing time at club level.

Following friendlies against Iceland, Serbia and Estonia, France will start their Euro 2012 campaign with a clash against rivals England, with les Bleus 2.88 (17/9) at BetVictor to claim maximum points.

Provisional France squad (non-Ligue 1-based players only)

Defenders: Gaël Clichy (Manchester City FC), Patrice Evra (Manchester United FC), Younès Kaboul (Tottenham Hotspur FC), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal FC), Adil Rami (Valencia CF), Philippe Mexès (AC Milan).

Midfielders: Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle United FC), Florent Malouda (Chelsea FC), Samir Nasri (Manchester City FC).

Forwards: Hatem Ben Arfa (Newcastle United FC), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid CF), Franck Ribéry (FC Bayern München).