Thauvin on fire with Lens, but Ménès already rules him out of Zidane's plans

Florian Thauvin is delivering strong performances with RC Lens, but his future with the France national team already seems compromised in the eyes of Pierre Ménès. The former pundit believes that the 2018 World Cup winner does not fit into the plans of new manager Zinedine Zidane, despite a remarkable 2025-2026 season in Ligue 1.

Last Saturday, during Lens’s victory away at Troyes (3-1), Thauvin provided two more assists, bringing his total to seven in the league since the start of the season. A tally that makes him one of the most decisive players in the championship at his position.

Yet the prospect of a call-up for the next France gathering in November seems slim. “His only real shortcoming for knocking on the door of the team is being 33 years old. I don’t think it fits into Zidane’s plans to call up players who will be almost 35 at the time of the Euro,” Ménès said on his YouTube channel.

The age argument carries significant weight in this matter. Thauvin will indeed be approaching 35 at the Euro, a deadline that seems to be guiding Zidane’s choices toward a generational overhaul of the squad.

Yet the Lens player had successfully made his return to the France team in October 2025, recalled by Didier Deschamps after more than six years away. Coming on as a substitute against Azerbaijan, he scored a goal on his first touch of the ball — a stunning return that may not have been enough to secure a place in the new staff’s project.

The transition between the Deschamps and Zidane eras thus seems to be happening at Thauvin’s expense, forced to prove on the Lens pitch that age criteria should not take precedence over current form.