Koundé uncertain for France-Senegal after muscle discomfort at half-time

Jules Koundé left France’s final warm-up match against Northern Ireland early on Monday due to muscle discomfort in his thigh. The FC Barcelona defender, expected to start at right-back, requested to be substituted at half-time as a precaution, with Malo Gusto replacing him for the second half.

His participation in the Blues’ opening match against Senegal on Tuesday remains uncertain. While the injury does not appear to be a major concern, the French coaching staff will closely monitor his progress during the first training sessions at Bentley campus in Boston, where the French delegation is based for the tournament.

Koundé’s substitution was not planned by Didier Deschamps, which gives the incident a more worrying character than a simple tactical change. Malo Gusto, meanwhile, took the opportunity to impress and add competition for the right-back position.

For the rest of the squad, all players are fit. Should Koundé be ruled out, the lineup against the Lions of Teranga would remain largely identical to that fielded against Northern Ireland: William Saliba and Dayot Upamecano in central defence, Adrien Rabiot and Aurélien Tchouameni in midfield, and an attacking quartet comprising Désiré Doué, Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise and Kylian Mbappé.