Tchouaméni in France squad: Mourinho gives green light but demands caution

José Mourinho has answered the question gripping French football: will Zinédine Zidane call up Aurélien Tchouaméni for his first France squad? The Real Madrid manager is not opposed, but he has conditions.

“I don’t know what Zidane has in mind for him,” Mourinho said. “We have to respect his decision. I also don’t know what’s best for him: playing with four players and four others from Castilla, or with the national team. Ideally it would be the national team, but with controlled playing time, without accumulating fatigue.”

The message is clear: the Madrid club will not block a potential call-up for the midfielder, but expects his former manager to handle the French international with discernment. Tchouaméni started the season injured and has only recently returned to action in Real Madrid colours.

“I haven’t spoken to Zidane, but he’s a man full of common sense,” Mourinho continued. “He will do what’s best for him. Let him help the national team without harming the player’s future. I’m convinced Zidane will do things right.”

A regular in the France squad under Didier Deschamps, Tchouaméni is logically in the new manager’s plans. But his lack of match rhythm places a question mark beside his name, just hours before the squad announcement scheduled for Friday. Beyond the Tchouaméni case, Zidane’s list will be scrutinised for the new faces it brings in, but also for the “survivors” from the Deschamps era it will confirm.