Leny Yoro Gets First France Call-Up After Konaté Injury

Barely a week ago, Leny Yoro's name was on everyone's lips for all the wrong reasons: Manchester United blew a 2-0 lead against Brighton and crashed out of the Carabao Cup, with the French center back singled out as one of those responsible for the collapse. Well, that same player has just received the best news of his career.

Zinedine Zidane has called him up for his first squad in charge of the France national team, meaning Yoro will earn his first ever senior call-up with Les Bleus. The reason behind the call-up leaves no room for doubt: Ibrahima Konaté, of Real Madrid, suffered a knee injury and had to return to his club, as the French federation itself confirmed on social media.

The fact that Zidane opted for Yoro in this context says a lot about how the new head coach sees his first project. He hasn't let himself get swept up in the wave of criticism against the United defender and instead chose to look at the substance of the matter: he needed a center back and picked the one he considered the best option available.

A squad that bears his own stamp from day one

This is Zidane's first squad as head coach, a role he took on in July, and it already makes clear he has no intention of simply sticking with the usual names. He has left out regulars like Aurélien Tchouaméni and Marcus Thuram for these Nations League matches, and instead brought in several new faces: alongside Yoro, the squad includes Guillaume Restes, Andy Diouf, Jérémy Jacquet, Lucas Da Cunha and Esteban Le Paul.

Zidane himself explained what he's looking for with these decisions, speaking at the French federation's headquarters in Clairefontaine:

These are players who deserve to be here, players I want to see. Everyone is going to get their chance.Zinedine Zidane

What inspires me is the game. I want to see these players and this team playing.Zinedine Zidane

France kicks off this Friday against Turkey, marking Zidane's debut on the bench, with the goal of starting off with a win. Not all the news out of camp has been good: Kylian Mbappé missed Tuesday's training session with flu-like symptoms, though there's no indication he'll miss the match.

After the game against Turkey, the schedule for this Nations League window stays busy: France will face Belgium on September 28, Italy on October 2 and Belgium again on October 5. For Yoro, it's a chance to put the rough week at Old Trafford behind him and start building, under the guidance of a legend like Zidane, what could become a long international career.