Mbappe headlines Zidane’s France squad, Pagis gets call-up

PARIS: Kylian Mbappe headlined the France squad named Friday by coach Zinedine Zidane for their Nations League matches against Italy and Turkiye after picking up an injury on international duty in September, while Pablo Pagis was handed a debut call-up.

Real Madrid superstar Mbappe, the France captain, scored the winner in Zidane’s first match in charge of Les Bleus away to Turkiye on September 25, but suffered a knee injury in the game that ruled him out of the team’s three remaining fixtures of the last international window.

Without him, France won twice against Belgium, in Brussels and then at home, and drew in between against Italy.