Zinedine Zidane's Surprising First France Squad: Key Absences and New Talents

Zinedine Zidane, in his debut as the head coach of the French national football team, has named his first squad. His selections include unexpected choices, with several established players left out.

The 54-year-old coach has called up five newcomers to his 23-man roster for upcoming Nations League matches. Notably absent are World Cup participants Marcus Thuram, N'Golo Kanté, and the Hernandez brothers, Lucas and Theo. Zidane confirmed continuity in leadership.

"Kylian Mbappé will be my captain," the former midfield maestro announced on Friday. Mbappé, 27, had already captained France under the previous coach, Didier Deschamps. Zidane's squad consists of 20 outfield players and three goalkeepers. He explained the squad size by stating, "There is no break; I want to maintain continuity while introducing new ideas to the players."

Midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni, currently in recovery from an injury, was not selected, along with defenders Lucas Digne and Malo Gusto, who were part of the World Cup squad. Bayern Munich's Michael Olise and Dayot Upamecano were expected inclusions.

The new additions to the French squad are goalkeeper Guillaume Restes, defenders Andy Diouf and Jérémy Jacquet, midfielder Lucas Da Cunha, and forward Esteban Lepaul.

Zidane will make his managerial debut for the national team on September 25 in a Nations League fixture against Turkey, followed by a match against Belgium three days later. Additional games against Italy and Belgium are scheduled for early October.

Zinedine Zidane's First France Squad Overview:

• Goalkeepers: Mike Maignan, Robin Risser, Guillaume Restes.
• Defenders: Dayot Upamecano, Jules Koundé, Ibrahima Konaté, Jérémy Jacquet, Andy Diouf, Pierre Kalulu, Maxence Lacroix, Adrien Truffert.
• Midfielders: Adrien Rabiot, Manu Koné, Warren Zaïre-Emery, Eduardo Camavinga, Rayan Cherki, Lucas Da Cunha.
• Forwards: Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Michael Olise, Désiré Doué, Bradley Barcola, and Esteban Lepaul.