Sprain, Lepaul excluded from the French squad gathering in November

Injured to the ankle, Rennes striker Esteban Lepaul will not be called up by the France manager, Zinédine Zidane, for the France squad gathering scheduled for November and will thus miss his first call‑up since his September recall.

The sprain occurred during Rennes' defeat to Paris FC (5-2), forcing him to miss the club's last three matches. Since then, he has not resumed collective training with his team.

LEPAUL will remain unavailable for the match against OLYMPIAKOS, scheduled for Wednesday at 4:30 p.m., as well as for the Ligue 1 clash against LOSC Lille, set for Sunday at 3:00 p.m. The absence was confirmed on Tuesday by manager Franck Haise during a pre‑match press conference.

France and November squad

Zidane is not expected to include Lepaul in the November gathering, the decision being announced three days before the squad was released. It indicates that the player's return could be delayed until after the international break.

Aged twenty‑six, Lepaul was first called up to the France team in September, where he earned two starts against Belgium and made a substitute appearance against Turkey. Club sources estimate that his sprain will keep him out for another three weeks.