Andy Diouf’s season at Inter has taken an unexpected turn, and it has now carried him into the France senior squad for the first time. The midfielder, reshaped by Cristian Chivu on the right side of Inter’s system, has earned a call-up after previously appearing only for France’s Olympic selection.
For Diouf, the international recognition comes while his club role remains far removed from the central midfield position in which he sees his future. At Inter, Chivu has moved him towards the right flank, where his pace and running power have helped cover part of the responsibility left by Denzel Dumfries.
The adjustment has changed the player’s prospects rather than narrowed them. Diouf had remained calm when asked about the absence of a senior France opportunity, insisting that his time would come. It has arrived under Zinedine Zidane, who has succeeded Didier Deschamps as France coach.
Zidane sees a solution at left-back
While Chivu has found value in Diouf’s contribution on the right, Zidane intends to assess him on the opposite side of the defence. The France coach has included him with the idea of using him as a left-back, another major positional change for a player still seeking a settled identity.
“Diouf has a different role at Inter, but I want to look at him as a left-back,” Zidane said when announcing his first squad. “It is an important and decisive choice, as it is with Adrien Truffert. Both can now play there for France, in an area where we had been short of options for some time.”
Truffert is therefore part of the same selection decision, with Zidane using his opening squad as an opportunity to address a shortage in that part of the French side.
Bernabeu performance adds weight to his case
Diouf’s display in his first Champions League appearance at the Bernabeu, against Zidane’s former club Real Madrid, may also have strengthened his case. Whatever convinced the new France coach, the call-up confirms that the versatility shown in Milan has not gone unnoticed.
The 24-year-old is not yet back in the midfield role he would prefer, either for club or country. Yet the changes imposed around him have opened doors: Chivu’s decision has made him a more significant figure at Inter, and Zidane’s plan has brought him into the France senior picture.
For a player whose season has been shaped by adaptation, the first international summons is an important reward. His next task will be to show that he can make the left-back experiment work for France while continuing to offer Inter an energetic option on the right.
