Marcus Thuram is back in the France squad. The Inter Milan forward had been left out when Zinedine Zidane picked his first group in September and was again omitted in October, with injuries to Ousmane Dembele, Esteban Lepaul and Maghnes Akliouche opening the door for a return.
Zidane framed the recall as a product of circumstance rather than a statement of intent.
“Marcus is the same, it’s an opportunity to see him. There was an injury and it was a chance to have him,” he told Goal when the 23-man list was announced on Friday.
Maiden call-up for Pablo Pagis
Paris FC striker Pablo Pagis, 23, is the surprise name on the list. The son of former Marseille forward Mickael Pagis, he arrived at the newly promoted Ligue 1 club from Lorient over the summer and is in for his first senior France cap.
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The call-up came in direct response to Akliouche’s calf trouble.
“He is in the squad because we have a little problem with Akliouche, and so we needed to choose another player. Pablo was part of the long list and he is a player I want to see. He is interesting, different and it is good to be able to see what he is like,” Zidane said to France 24.
Kylian Mbappe leads the attack as usual, with Bradley Barcola, Desire Doue, Michael Olise and Rayan Cherki also selected. Ibrahima Konate and Aurelien Tchouameni return after injury absences of their own.
Six out, a Chelsea defender back in
Zidane is without a sizeable chunk of his first-choice XI. Jules Kounde, Dembele, William Saliba, Maxence Lacroix, Lepaul and Akliouche are all unavailable through injury, leaving the manager to lean on younger options such as Liverpool defender Jeremy Jacquet and Como midfielder Lucas Da Cunha.
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Chelsea’s Malo Gusto is recalled at right-back in place of Kounde, with Zidane calling the selection deserved and praising the full-back’s familiarity with the setup.
France one point from the quarter-finals
France sit top of Nations League A Group 1 with 10 points from four matches, three clear of Roberto Mancini’s Italy. A single point at San Siro would secure a quarter-final place with a match to spare.
Italy return to the Giuseppe Meazza for the first time since last November’s 4-1 defeat to Norway, and have not beaten anyone in Milan since 2021. France won 3-1 at the same venue in the Nations League two years ago.
Kick-off is at 8:45pm local time on Thursday 12 November. France then host Turkey at the Matmut Atlantique in Bordeaux on Sunday 15 November.
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