France national team head coach Zinedine Zidane has provided an insight into the reasoning behind the absence of Real Madrid star Aurélien Tchouaméni from his maiden squad.
Fresh off replacing Didier Deschamps on Les Bleus’ bench this summer, Zidane unveiled his first panel of players for an upcoming round of Nations League fixtures on Friday.
A trio of stars from Zizou’s former club, Real Madrid, were afforded call-ups, namely Ibrahima Konaté, Eduardo Camavinga, and Kylian Mbappé.
Left out, though, was the aforementioned Aurélien Tchouaméni. Midfielder Tchouaméni has long played a starring role for his country, most recently at this summer’s World Cup.
Speaking to the media after his squad was made public, Zinedine Zidane was therefore drawn on Tchouaméni’s name. And the tactician went on to confirm that the absence of the former Monaco man comes owing to his recent spell on the sidelines:
“He was out for two months. It was better for him to stay in Madrid for his recovery.”
Conor Laird – GSFN
