Konaté ruled out, Zidane calls up Leny Yoro for first France cap

Ibrahima Konaté will not participate in the four Nations League matches in September. The Real Madrid defender, who suffered a slight right knee sprain during a training session at Clairefontaine on Wednesday, has been sent back to his club to begin his rehabilitation, in agreement with Madrid’s medical staff.

Konaté’s absence deprives Zinedine Zidane of his central defender who was set to partner Dayot Upamecano for the trip to Turkey this Friday (20:45), before hosting Belgium and Italy. To replace him, the manager chose to dip into the U21 squad present at the National Football Centre: Leny Yoro simply had to cross the CNF grounds to join the senior team building.

At 20 years old and transferred to Manchester United in summer 2024 for €62 million, the Manchester defender is earning his first senior call-up. His trajectory in England has been mixed: a malleolus fracture kept him sidelined for four months during his first season, before he accumulated playing time in 2025-2026 (33 matches across all competitions). At the start of this season, his status remains uncertain — he started in the Champions League against Sabah (4-0), but has only had brief appearances in the Premier League under Michael Carrick’s management.

Yoro becomes the seventh uncapped player in this squad, which is already shaping up to be one of the most overhauled in recent memory. Zidane had already surprised last Friday by selecting five players without a single cap: goalkeeper Guillaume Restes (Toulouse), defenders Jérémy Jacquet (Liverpool) and Andy Diouf (Inter Milan), midfielder Lucas Da Cunha (Como) and forward Esteban Lepaul (Rennes). Goalkeeper Jean Butez (Como) then completed the list on Sunday to cover for the unavailability of Robin Risser.

With seven uncapped players in the same squad, Zidane is making clear his intention to refresh the team from his first gathering, even if injuries have somewhat accelerated matters.