Tchouaméni sidelined for fitness reasons, return with France expected in November

Left out of Zinédine Zidane’s first France squad, Aurélien Tchouaméni is expected to make his return with the Blues at November’s international break. The Real Madrid midfielder was omitted not for sporting reasons, but because he was just recovering from a lengthy injury at the time of squad selection.

Zidane had chosen, in agreement with his player, to give him time to work on his fitness with his club rather than call him up in uncertain form. A management decision, not a snub, the manager had clarified.

The choice of Lucas Da Cunha, a very different profile from Tchouaméni in midfield, had nonetheless fuelled questions about the Real Madrid man’s place in the new France project. Consultant Maxime Chanot sweeps aside these doubts without hesitation. “Tchouaméni, he’ll be there at the next break. I’ll stake my life on it,” says the former defender.

For Chanot, the player’s quality is beyond question. “You have to be realistic, I’m not pro-Tchouaméni, but he has a place in the France team every day.” He elaborates on his reading of the situation: “He’s a player who was injured for a while, and generally speaking you take advantage of international breaks to add extra sessions, without being impacted by the weekend match, to regain your form. That’s exactly what’s happening with Tchouaméni. I’m convinced that Real Madrid agreed with Zidane and Tchouaméni to leave him at the club so he could work.”

An undisputed cornerstone under Didier Deschamps, Tchouaméni approached this international window in an unusual position. His return in November would signal a strong message about the continuity Zidane wishes to maintain with the established France squad elements.