“His last selection was in June 2022. What followed was much more complicated for him, with an injury which prevented him from playing in the World Cup. He was coming off a white season in 2022 but he had a full season, certainly not in a European championship since he is in Saudi Arabia. The situation was clear in my head. He regained his football and athletic abilities. I am convinced that the France team will be stronger with N’Golo Kanté. He played a lot of matches, I have no doubts about what made his strength and his experience.
Is his presence linked to Tchouaméni uncertainty? I won’t go that far. With “NG”, no matter the situation there is never a problem. It’s an angel. Everyone likes him. It has no guarantees. To be honest, all seven midfielders can start. NG will have the place he deserves or that I give him. He has a status and that weighs.”
“Bradley can create differences through dribbling, speed, he will then gain in efficiency. He has this ability to eliminate, to repeat efforts. He wasn’t there in March, but he could have been. I felt that perhaps everything was going too quickly. He has done other things since, he confirmed with his club.
“If Lucas Hernandez had been there, Ferland Mendy would have been there too. I consider Lucas to be a central defender, so Ferland would have been there. He had a lot of injuries last season and this season. He evolved in his game, which was mainly focused offensively. With Bellingham, Vinicius or Rodrygo in front of him (at Real Madrid), he projects and doubles less, but he has gained in defensive quality, which was not his strong point.
“His situation is clear, his choice has been made for a long time. Kylian has this ability to absorb a lot of things, the ability to stay focused on the competition. The situation of his season is certainly more complicated but let’s not forget that Kylian is a human being, with his weaknesses too. But he has the maturity and intelligence to handle this situation. It’s not me who decides (on the formalization of his transfer). He will come to an agreement with his new club.
“Of course the door is not closed for any player, I even wish it were possible. I had several conversations with Thierry Henry (coach of the French Olympic team), the last one yesterday afternoon. There is no prohibition on my part that players on the list cannot make the Olympics. The objective will be for Thierry Henry to have the best possible team to perform.
“The three situations are different, Mike (Maignan) has resumed the specific sessions, no risks will be taken next weekend with his club (AC Milan). Aurélien (Tchouaméni) is having a healing phase which belongs to the Real Madrid medical staff and he will join us after the Champions League final (June 1). If all goes well, Kingsley (Coman) will be ready for the start of the internship with us. Every player on the pre-list must be ready when needed. Afterwards, there is June 7 with the official list to give to FIFA. I even have until the 16th to change.”
“Of course it’s a possibility. The goal is to have three options at each position, I’ll let you find them. I believe that at 25, there are sufficient guarantees.”
“A reflection around him? Yes, definitely. Afterwards, he had a complicated season, with three ends of matches. If he hasn’t started a match with Chelsea, it’s because there are still steps to take. He is cured but compared to the competition…”
“We have to make him play like he did in Marseille! The analyzes are severe and we must not forget where he comes from, he is not in a climate of great confidence. From what he has done with us, he knows what I expect of him. Obviously, there is a significant gap between what “Kolo” does with PSG and with us. In March, he was already in this situation, which did not prevent him from playing a high quality match. For years, Giroud was there even though he sometimes played little or not at all.”
“What central hinge for the Euro? I know the team that will start, it’s in my head. Which does not mean that the first team lined up will play the second match. Then there is the preparation, the friendly matches…”
“The group of 25 players has a good balance. It seems logical to me that we are among the favorites. The Euro is no less tough than a World Cup, we face solid teams like Austria who are underrated. Before looking further, we have to focus on our first three matches, against the Netherlands and Poland too.
