France squad: Enzo Le Fée awaits Zinédine Zidane’s first list

Enzo Le Fée will be among the French players watching closely when Zinédine Zidane announces his first France squad on Friday evening. The Sunderland midfielder has received his first pre-call-up for the national team, placing him in contention for the gathering scheduled for the end of September and the start of October. His inclusion in the preliminary group is already a significant step for a 26-year-old who has not yet made his senior debut for France.

Le Fée has said that he will follow the announcement without changing the routine he has maintained throughout his professional career. “Je vais regarder la liste comme j'ai toujours regardé la liste depuis que je suis arrivé dans le monde professionnel,” he said in a Canal+ Sport interview. He has watched previous squad announcements with the same interest, including when new players and former teammates earned their first call-ups.

The midfielder’s position has changed because of his recent performances for Sunderland. He is described as one of Régis Le Bris’s principal creative players, and he delivered the decisive contribution in the club’s 1-0 Europa League victory over AZ Alkmaar at the Stadium of Light. Le Fée won the penalty and then converted it himself, scoring the only goal of the match.

That goal came at an important moment in the conversation around his international prospects. The Sunderland player did not present the pre-call-up as a personal target that would dominate his attention. Instead, he linked any future selection to the work he is doing for his club. “Je suis concentré sur ce que je fais avec mon club et c’est ça qui m’amènera ou pas à être sélectionné un jour,” he said.

Le Fée’s career has taken him through several substantial moves in a short period. He came through Stade Rennais before moving to Roma in the 2024-25 season for €23 million. His recorded transfer history then includes moves between Roma and Sunderland during the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons, with Sunderland’s purchase of the player from Roma listed at €23.75 million in the current campaign.

The database identifies him as a central midfielder, with Sunderland AFC as his current club and France as his nationality. It lists his current market value at €28 million. Those figures place his first pre-call-up in the context of a player who has become a significant asset for his club, rather than an unexpected selection built on a single result.

There is also a physical detail that will remain part of the selection picture. The player database records his injury status as unknown and lists a collateral ligament injury. It provides no timetable or further assessment, so the available information does not establish whether the issue will affect his availability for the France gathering. The squad announcement will clarify whether his name advances from the preliminary group to the final list.

For Sunderland, Le Fée’s international prospects add another dimension to a season in which his influence is being measured both domestically and in Europe. For the player, the next step depends on maintaining the level that earned the pre-call-up while waiting for Zidane’s decision. He has made clear that selection would be welcome, but his immediate focus remains Sunderland and the work that brought him into the France conversation.