Biarritz have urged prop Fabien Barcella not to give up on a place at the World Cup, after he said he had lost hope of earning a recall in 2011.
Barcella sustained a serious Achilles tendon injury in August last year and has yet to return to action, with the World Cup starting in September.
"Announcing today that he won't be able to compete is curious as nothing suggests that this is the case and in the end, only the France coach... will take a decision this summer," said Biarritz in a statement sent to AFP.
The Basque club added: "Although it's true that the player suffered a serious Achilles tendon injury in 2010, he is today on the road to recovery and should finish the season with BOPB."
Biarritz have a Heineken Cup quarter-final against Toulouse to come in the near future and are also in contention for a Top 14 semi-final berth.
In an interview on the website of radio station RMC Sport, Barcella said he did not have enough time to force his way into Marc Lievremont's thinking.
"It's a very frustrating injury and some players have taken a year and a half to come back from it," said Barcella, who has 12 France caps.
"I've never had any illusions. I need to get back for my club, and then for France, but there's a huge gap between the two. International rugby is very demanding."
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