Zinedine Zidane faces difficult first France squad choices

Zinedine Zidane’s first France squad is set to bring difficult decisions, with a group of emerging players under consideration but no room for all of them. The former coach’s selection will also signal how far he intends to move away from Didier Deschamps’ established choices.

Zidane is due to reveal his list next Friday at the French Football Federation’s headquarters, six days from now. Ismaelo Ganiou of Lens, Jérémy Jacquet of Liverpool, Andy Diouf of Inter Milan, Estéban Lepaul of Rennes, Pablo Pagis of Paris FC and Enzo Le Fée of Sunderland are among the players whose clubs have been alerted to a possible call-up.

That administrative step does not guarantee selection. Around 50 players can receive preliminary notification, while roughly 30 to 35 players formed the core of Deschamps’ recent squads. Even with a potentially enlarged group because four matches are scheduled, the numbers leave several candidates facing disappointment.

The preliminary list nevertheless places the younger names on Zidane’s radar and supports the possibility of a renewal. The final squad will determine which of them make the jump from consideration to the France team, and which established players retain their places under the new coach.