A Tuesday morning session at Clairefontaine brought France’s senior coach Zinédine Zidane into the orbit of the country’s next generation, as the Under-21 squad continued its preparation for four Euro qualifying fixtures.
The move
Zidane watched the France Espoirs training session at the National Football Centre on Tuesday, accompanied by David Bettoni.
The new France head coach is seeking a broad view of the talent available to him, including players developing in the younger national teams. His visit gave Gérald Baticle’s squad an audience from the senior setup during their current camp at Clairefontaine.
The French season around it
France Under-21s sit top of their European Championship qualifying group and face a demanding sequence of four matches.
- Iceland — Friday, 17:00
- Estonia — next Tuesday, 18:00
- Luxembourg — 3 October, 19:00
- Switzerland — 6 October, 19:00
For Baticle’s young group, the qualification schedule is the immediate priority. Zidane’s presence underlined the wider importance of the camp: strong performances at Espoirs level can place players firmly on the radar of the France senior coach.
