Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni France will not play for France this international window after aggravating a thigh injury in training.
The Real Madrid midfielder suffered the same problem during the World Cup this summer and will return to Madrid for rehabilitation.
It is unclear for now when he will be back on the pitch. He is scheduled to undergo medical tests to assess the severity of his injury, but it is expected that he will miss at least Madrid’s next La Liga match against Celta Vigo on 21 November.
France coach Zinedine Zidane has decided not to call up another player in Tchouameni’s place. However, Bournemouth forward Junior Kroupi has been called up for the first time to replace Inter Milan striker Marcus Thuram, who was also ruled out of their Nations League matches, with a hamstring injury.
France’s medical team confirmed on Tuesday that Thuram would return to Inter after failing to improve.
“With no improvement this morning, and following medical examinations, the French national team’s medical staff decided, in agreement with Inter and the player, to release him back to his club,” the federation said.
Kroupi finished as the leading scorer in Ligue 2 in 2025 and was part of the France Under-19 side that finished runners-up at the 2024 European Championship. He joined Bournemouth after his time in France and was pursued last summer by several top clubs, including Arsenal and Barcelona.
France also have high profile players William Saliba, Jules Kounde, Maxence Lacroix, Manu Kone and Ousmane Dembele unavailable through injury.
