Toulouse fly-half Frederic Michalak is likely to be left out of the France squad for the Six Nations after coach Marc Lievremont spoke out in the press earlier this week about his form at club level.

Michalak has recently returned to action for the French club after a year spent in South Africa, playing Super 14 and Currie Cup rugby for the Sharks, and Lievremont has not been impressed with his current levels of performance.

"For Fred, there's no real form to support his selection," he told Aujourd'hui Sport. "He definitely has a lot of experience, but I expect a number ten to be the boss. When I watched the match between Toulouse and Montpellier, I noticed that neither of the fly-halves [Michalak and fellow French international François Trinh-Duc] kicked well from the tee or out of hand - I tell myself there's a problem.

"It's difficult to talk about a player that I'm not going to pick, and to criticise him, but two years ago, even when he wasn't perfect in all aspects, he had the talent to make the difference in a game. He hardly does that today."

Michalak has responded to the criticism by vowing to return to the international fold, either at fly-half or possibly even scrum-half.

"I am always disappointed not to play for the national team," he told L'Equipe. "But, as always, I am saying to myself I must continue to work hard and challenge myself to get back into that squad.

"Since I returned to Toulouse, I have tried to become more of a team player and to use my team-mates more - at one time, people had a go at me for keeping hold of the ball too much. "I am trying to give my all here and it hasn't been too bad. I am trying to reintegrate.

"With Toulouse, I have played several times at nine and I will do it again," he said. "If the national-team coach wants me to play there, I will do it."

Lievremont's dismissal of Michalak's Six Nations claim surprised France team manager Jo Maso, who maintained that the squad had not been finalised when Lievremont spoke out.

"Nothing has been decided for Frédéric Michalak," Maso told French newspaper Le Parisien. "The Selection Committee is going to debate [the squad] for two hours, and then release a list of thirty players. In a case of disagreement, the Head Coach will have the final word. But if these decisions have been taken before our debate, there's no point in calling us together."