Babacar Dione leads three Senegal-linked France U18 players

France’s U18 double-header with Senegal will place three players with Senegalese roots in the French squad, while giving the Senegalese staff a close look at young talent developing in France. Babacar Dione, Noham Diop and Mouhamed Sylla have been selected for the meetings with Senegal’s U17 side on 2 and 4 October at Clairefontaine.

Dione, 17, is continuing his development with Marseille’s U19 team. The fixtures will give him an international opportunity against a country linked to his family background. Diop, also 17, plays as an attacking midfielder for Rennes, where he came through the club’s academy. He is the younger brother of Sofiane Diop, the Morocco international, and has both Senegalese and Moroccan roots.

Sylla has been part of Paris FC’s academy since 2016. The midfielder has progressed through the club’s age groups and now plays for the Parisian team’s U19 side in the Championnat National. His call-up adds another France-based prospect with Senegalese connections to the group.

Selection for France at this level does not settle the players’ future international allegiance. For Senegal coach Lamine Sané and his staff, the two games are also an opportunity to assess profiles in French football as the team prepares after qualifying for the next U17 Africa Cup of Nations and looks towards the category’s World Cup in Qatar.