Mayulu called up to the national team: Zidane reviews plans for Mbappé

Zinedine Zidane was forced to change his plans and called up Senny Nsona Mayulu, initially selected with the France Under 21, to the senior national team to cover the absence of Kylian Mbappé, who is expected to miss the match against Italy due to a muscle problem.

Mayulu's inclusion in the senior national team serves to compensate for Aurelien Tchouameni's withdrawal and the muscle problem reported by Kylian Mbappé, who is expected to miss the match against Italy.

Zidane's tactical choices

The call-up of the young PSG attacking midfielder comes at a delicate moment for the Bleus, as after the Real Madrid player's injury the head coach had initially decided not to call up any other players, relying on the presence in the squad of Eduardo Camavinga, Lucas Da Cunha, Adrien Rabiot and Warren Zaïre‑Emery, all usable in the same position.

Mbappé's muscle problem, however, changed the scenario, making Mayulu an interesting solution because of his versatility: in addition to covering the attacking midfielder role, the 2006‑born player can be deployed further forward, offering an offensive alternative should the captain fail to recover.

Zidane calls up PSG youngster to France's senior national team

The Paris Saint‑Germain player therefore temporarily leaves the Under‑21 group to experience his first stint with the senior national team.

Zidane has opted for a young profile who has already played almost one hundred matches with his club, winning two Champions League titles and scoring in the historic final against Inter.

In the current season, up to now, Mayulu has recorded nine appearances, three goals and two assists in roughly 350 minutes of play.