France manager Zinédine Zidane defends under-fire Ousmane Dembélé

France manager Zinédine Zidane is standing up for his under-pressure midfielder Ousmane Dembélé as he enters the international break. Recent reports suggest that the Ballon d’Or winner's relationship with his teammate Kylian Mbappé has become a bit "frosty" due to media speculation. Mbappé has been lobbying to win the upcoming Ballon d’Or, while Dembélé has refused to "sell" himself, unlike Mbappé, who continues to play up his chances.

Dembélé has been relatively quiet on the pitch during this international break, failing to score in France's three matches despite playing in his preferred No.9 role. Mbappé was initially moved to the left for France's first game against Turkiye, which they won 1-0. The Real Madrid forward was also injured in that game and subsequently withdrew from the squad.

Dembélé's absence of the all-time top scorer has led to some criticism, but Zidane maintains that he has not criticized his player. Zidane believes that Dembélé's versatility and ability to "lose" his position make him valuable to the team. He remains confident that Dembélé will make up for his recent lackluster performance in France's final international against Belgium.