“It’s a difficult choice ”, but above all a “ rich man’s choice “. Affected in the adductors after the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, Aurélien Tchouameni did not play the eighth against Paraguay (1-0) as well as the quarter against Morocco. Back in collective training, the Real Madrid midfielder is applying for a starting place against Spain, Tuesday (9 p.m.) in Dallas, in the semi-finals.
Yes, but there you have it, Manu Koné is coming off two big performances in the midfield alongside Adrien Rabiot, who for his part is an indisputable starter. Enough to give headaches to Didier Deschamps, who will have to decide between his vice-captain Tchouameni and the Roma midfielder to face La Roja.
During an interview given to
West Francethe question was asked to Jean-Philippe Durand. And for him, everything will depend on the physical state of Aurélien Tchouameni. If the latter is fully recovered, the former French international (26 caps) sees him start.
“Nothing prevents Tchouameni from playing and bringing Koné in”
“ It’s a difficult choice. When you are a coach, it is the choice of the rich. When we have two players of this level… I’m not in Didier’s head but in his mind, I imagine that Tchouameni remains the starter. But he has his two options. Will I leave Koné or not? I think it mainly depends on Tchouameni’s physical state, that’s the question mark », indicated Jean-Philippe Durand.
And to add: “ We know that Koné is ready, that he is in rhythm, that he can play his match but nothing prevents us from playing Tchouameni and bringing Koné back if we realize that he is not back to his best. He missed a week of competition and when you have a small muscle problem, the return is always a little hesitant. We always have the potential relapse in our heads. For Didier, it’s a question of confidence in his player… But it’s above all a choice of the rich. » It’s up to Didier Deschamps to decide now.
