Shape of the France squad: injuries disrupt Zidane's calculations

What is Zizou doing?

Zinedine Zidane has a selection headache. The France head coach must name his next squad on Friday with several key players still sidelined through injury.

Zidane wrestled with the same problem during September's international break, when he lost William Saliba and Aurélien Tchouaméni, then Ibrahima Konaté, with Leny Yoro drafted in as a replacement.

According to the network "Foot Mercato", William Saliba remains several weeks away from a return at centre-back, while Maxence Lacroix is out with a tear in the knee tendons, an injury that could keep him out until the end of the year.

Three places in the backline look settled for Dayot Upamecano, Jérémy Jacquet and Ibrahima Konaté. The fourth is a fight between Yoro, who hasn't hit the expected levels at Manchester United but shone for France last month, and Lucas Hernández, impressive in his recent outings for Paris Saint-Germain, alongside Wesley Fofana, who put in a striking display against Manchester United on Saturday.

Over on the right flank, doubts cloud Jules Koundé's situation after he sat out Barcelona's two games against Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain with an ankle sprain. That could open the door for Pierre Kalulu to return and fill the position.

The second right-sided spot is harder to call. Malo Gusto's game time at Chelsea has dropped, and although Jonathan Clauss has improved markedly at Nice, he doesn't fully match Zidane's criteria, with the coach prioritising a team built for the future.

Benjamin Pavard is also out injured. Andy Diouf might have offered another option here, but Zidane insisted on using him on the left flank during the first international break.

Will Dembélé and Olise be absent?

In midfield, Manu Koné looks unlikely to recover from a thigh injury before the next camp, but Zidane is waiting on Aurélien Tchouaméni, Warren Zaïre-Emery and Adrien Rabiot, who scored in a Milan shirt during the derby with Inter last Saturday, a game his side won 3-1.

Eduardo Camavinga and Lucas Da Cunha should keep their places, and Zidane's use of Rayan Cherki in midfield last time out reduces the chance of major changes in this department.

Up front, the French coach has plenty of options, yet he may be forced to turn to a few surprise names. The previous squad saw Esteban Lepaul called up amid a string of injuries to attacking players.

Ousmane Dembélé is out of the plans. Doubts surround Michael Olise, injured in the clash with Dortmund last Saturday, while Lepaul is nursing a problem with his left ankle.

All of this opens the door to a possible return for Marcus Thuram. The Inter Milan striker has been in fine form lately, and Téléfoot flagged him as one of the options available to Zidane to cover the attacking absences.

Eli Junior Kroupi, by contrast, may have to wait for his France bow despite huge anticipation around his call-up. The Bournemouth striker spent several months out injured, but he is gradually rebuilding his sharpness and produced a decisive assist in a 22-minute cameo against Leeds this week.