France: Tchouaméni regains best form, builds trust with Mourinho

Tchouaméni has regained full fitness at Real Madrid under Mourinho and will make his first France appearance under new manager Zidane in upcoming Nations League matches.

Aurélien Tchouaméni missed France's first camp in late September while recovering from injury, but has since rebuilt his form at Real Madrid. Working individually in Dubai and Madrid, the 26-year-old midfielder has progressively returned to peak condition, culminating in an outstanding performance in Real's Clásico victory over Barcelona in late October.

Under José Mourinho at Madrid, Tchouaméni has earned the Portuguese coach's complete trust. Mourinho's staff carefully managed his recovery from adductor issues early in the season without rushing his return. The two regularly discuss tactical matters, with Mourinho now preferring to pair Tchouaméni with a technical complement—such as Arda Güler or Bernardo Silva—rather than in a double pivot with Federico Valverde, a setup that had not worked well earlier in the campaign.

Tchouaméni will now link up with France manager Zinédine Zidane for the first time. Zidane confirmed the midfielder is "operational again" and will decide his role and midfield partners based on France's upcoming Nations League fixtures: Italy away on Thursday and Turkey at home in Bordeaux on Sunday.