Zinédine Zidane faces his first withdrawal before the Nations

Zinédine Zidane, new manager of the France team, already has to deal with a major absentee: Ibrahima Konaté, injured in his right knee, left Clairefontaine even before the first gathering of 23 players. This injury, announced Thursday morning by the French Football Federation, deprives him of the next four Nations League matches.

Replacement of Konaté

Konaté, who delivered a convincing start to the season with Real Madrid, sees his momentum halted by a slight sprain of the right knee. To replace him, Zidane called up Leny Yoro, a Manchester United defender, former Lille player, summoned for the first time with the Blues.

Among the other newcomers, the manager selected Guillaume Restes (Toulouse), Jérémy Jacquet (Liverpool), Andy Diouf (Inter Milan), Lucas Da Cunha (Côme) and Esteban Lepaul (Rennes). All have been called up for the first time in this 23-man squad.

Two days later, Côme goalkeeper Jean Butez joined the newcomers to cover the absence of Robin Risser.

France face Belgium without Ibrahima Konaté, a test for Zidane

The Blues will start their campaign in Turkey on September 25, before a trip to Belgium on the 28th. They will then host Italy on October 2 and Belgium on October 5, both at the Stade de France. The sequence will finish with a trip to Italy on November 12 at the Giuseppe Meazza stadium, then a hosting of Turkey on November 15 at the Atlantic stadium in Bordeaux.

Zinédine Zidane succeeds Didier Deschamps after fourteen years at the helm of the Blues, and is about to play his first matches with the France team. His tenure therefore begins under the sign of a major first challenge.

Zidane makes debut against Turkey in Nations League appearance

This contrast between the new coach's ambition and the loss of a key defender highlights the challenges the Blues will have to meet from the very first Nations League fixtures.