Four Days After Zidane Called His Comeback Too Short, Kroupi Replaces Thuram for France

On Friday, Zinedine Zidane explained why Éli Junior Kroupi was not in his France squad: the Bournemouth striker had only just come back from a foot injury, and the timing was "a bit short." Four days later, that changed. Marcus Thuram's right hamstring did not settle, the French federation sent him back to Inter on Tuesday, and Zidane picked the 20-year-old Kroupi for his first senior call-up ahead of Thursday's Nations League trip to Italy.

When Zidane announced his list on November 6, he was asked about Kroupi and did not dismiss him. "He's a player who could have been here," Zidane said, according to Le Parisien. "He was injured for two or three months, even if he came back well this weekend. It was a bit short."

That caution made sense. Kroupi fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot last summer and needed surgery. He returned at the end of October, and Le Parisien counts four appearances in all competitions since then, all of them off the bench. He set up Amine Adli late in Bournemouth's 2-0 win over Leeds on October 31 and played around 20 minutes in Sunday's 2-1 win at Ipswich.

So the player Zidane thought was not quite ready on Friday is the same player he called on Tuesday. The difference is that France suddenly had a hole up front.

Thuram picked up the problem on Sunday in Inter's 2-0 win over Como, a game in which he scored the second goal. It was supposed to be his first France camp since the World Cup.

"Marcus Thuram felt tightness in his right hamstring on Sunday during the league match against Como. This persistent discomfort prevented him from taking part in training with the France team on Monday and he stayed with the medical staff," the French federation (FFF) said in a statement. "With no improvement this Tuesday morning, and after tests, in agreement with Inter Milan and the player, the France medical staff decided to release him back to his club."

Thuram is the second withdrawal of the window. Juventus defender Pierre Kalulu already left with a hamstring injury, and Zidane replaced him with Wolfsburg's Saël Kumbedi.

Kroupi is now the third uncapped player in this France group, after Kumbedi and Paris FC attacker Pablo Pagis, whose selection was the surprise of Friday's list. For a national team that usually has more options than it can use, that is a lot of first-timers in one window.

Kroupi's résumé explains why he was already on the radar. Born and trained in Lorient, he finished as Ligue 2's top scorer in 2024-25 with 22 goals at just 18, then moved to Bournemouth and scored 13 times in his first Premier League season. He has five caps for France's Under-21 side and, per Ouest-France, 39 appearances and 19 goals across France's youth teams.

Tuesday also brought a first England call-up for Bournemouth defender James Hill, who joined Thomas Tuchel's squad as Ezri Konsa continues his own fitness program. Two first senior call-ups for two different countries on the same day is a fair reflection of where Marco Rose's team is right now, with eight straight wins in all competitions.

France play Italy in Milan on Thursday and host Turkey in Bordeaux on Sunday, and Reuters reports a draw in Milan is enough to secure a Nations League quarterfinal spot. Whether Kroupi plays at all is another question, given he has not started a game since his surgery. But a striker Zidane called "a bit short" on Friday will at least get a week inside the camp, and the chance to impress a coach who already had him in mind.