Another new face in Zidane’s squad
Zinédine Zidane keeps opening the door. On Wednesday afternoon the French federation confirmed that Senny Mayulu has been added to the France squad for the Nations League games against Italy on Thursday and Turkey on Sunday.
The PSG midfielder is the third newcomer of this window, after Pablo Pagis and Eli Junior Kroupi. That says plenty about how Zidane is using his second camp in charge: as a testing ground.
Mayulu effectively fills the slot left by Aurélien Tchouaméni, who withdrew injured. According to RMC Sport, France had not originally planned to replace the Real Madrid midfielder. The concern over Kylian Mbappé may have changed that. The captain stayed indoors for treatment on Wednesday rather than training with the group, and RMC reports he is heading towards missing the trip to Milan, though he is expected to be available against Turkey. Marcus Thuram is already out of the whole camp.
no renewal
Free for 2 weeks.
Why Mayulu fits the gap
The appeal is his range. Mayulu can play in midfield and has also been used by Luis Enrique as a false nine, which gives Zidane cover in two areas at once.
The numbers since his return to action at the end of October are strong: three goals and two assists in five appearances for PSG. The club rewarded him with a contract extension to 2031 in early September. He has also played four times for the France Under-21s since November 2025, so this is a direct step up from Clairefontaine’s other dressing room.
There is a wider angle too. Mayulu, 20, is also eligible to represent DR Congo, and a senior France appearance in an official match would go a long way towards settling that question.
One point from the quarter-finals
The stakes in Milan are clear. France have 10 points from four games and need just one more to book a quarter-final place. A win at San Siro would also lock up first place in the group, which would leave Zidane free to give his young players minutes against Turkey on Sunday.
Discover the rest of our Football news on MathODDS!
in your pocket.
Real-time notifications & alerts
Leave a Reply