Rayan Cherki has expressed his eagerness to work with Zinedine Zidane after receiving praise from the new France manager. The Manchester City attacking midfielder, capped since 2025, called it an honour ahead of a Nations League fixture schedule.
Zinedine Zidane recently labelled Cherki a true number ten. The 23-year-old responded to the compliment. "It will be an honour," said Rayan Cherki. He now has 14 appearances for the national team.
Zidane's first competitive task is an away trip to Turkey on 25 September. France will then play in Belgium on the 28th, before hosting Italy on 2 October and Belgium again on 5 October. The full upcoming schedule can be found on our fixtures page.
This run of games comes with France sitting top of their World Cup 2026 qualifying group. They have 9 points from three wins in three games. Their last result was a 4-6 friendly defeat to England on 18 July. Their recent form shows three wins and two losses from the last five outings. Detailed team statistics are available on our stats page.
Rayan Cherki, now playing in the Premier League, is among the players being looked at to spark France's attack. Zidane, who took over this summer, is beginning to implement his ideas during this camp. The squad list for these matches can be seen on our squad page.
The match against Turkey this Wednesday will officially mark the start of the Zidane era in competitive football. The manager must find solutions quickly after back-to-back friendly defeats to Spain and England.
Background and full detail: RMC Sport Football
