Euro 2024: ‘Incredible' Warren Zaire-Emery will be France's breakout star at tournament, says Julien Laurens

Julien Laurens highlighted Warren Zaire-Emery as the breakout star for France heading into Euro 2024 this summer.

The Paris Saint-Germain defender was included in Les Bleus’ 26-man squad for the finals in Germany, and Laurens is backing the teenager to make a big impact at the tournament.

“He's 18-years-old and has incredible talent already,” he told TNT Sports.

“He is so mature in the way he plays; his awareness and tactical IQ is super developed. He's got so much talent and so much personality as well, like a prodigy that you see once every 20 years.

“To make your debut at 17, and to be one of the best players in the Champions League group stage at that stage is just outstanding.

“The goal he scored against Dortmund [1-1 draw in December] and some of the man-of-the-match performances he has had in Europe is just incredible.

“He's not going to be a starter, certainly not at the start of the tournament, but France will expect big things when he comes on.

“He might earn a place in the starting 11 later on in the tournament as well.”

The TNT Sports French football expert also ran through his proposed starting 11 for the finals and identified the centre-back positions as the key talking points in coach Didier Deschamps' squad.

Laurens said: “So, considering the fitness of some players and the injury to Lucas Hernandez - the PSG centre-back who I think could've started for France at the Euros - this is the France line-up and the strongest line-up which Deschamps will use for the first game against Austria.

“Mike Maignan will be in goal, although he finished the season with Milan injured, he should be back and fit for that game and be in goal.

“For the back four, that's where it gets interesting, because Deschamps in his mind, the two centre-backs are [Ibrahima] Konate and [Dayot] Upamecano.

“The only thing with Upamecano is he's not playing anymore for Bayern Munich and is not a starter. He's hardly played since the start of the year and even Konate is in and out of the Liverpool team.

“When on the other hand you have William Saliba who is the best defender in the Premier League and in top form. Deschamps is not the biggest fan I guess and I understand that. But for me, Saliba has to start the Euros.”

Laurens believes that Jules Kounde will get the nod as a makeshift right-back, and highlighted how Kingsley Coman’s return from an adductor injury could convince Deschamps to rejig his attacking options.

He explained: “At left-back, it will be Theo Hernandez and at right-back it should be Jules Kounde at Barcelona, who is not really a right-back and more of a centre-back. Deschamps likes him to be there to stabilise everything as a more defensive-minded player, because Theo Hernandez is a very attacking left-back and it adds balance to the team.

“The midfield three will be [Antoine] Griezmann in a kind of free role, [Adrien] Rabiot a bit more on the left, and [Aurelien] Tchouameni sitting in front of that back four.

“For the front three, Kingsley Coman is back from his injury and I think he has a good chance of starting unless Marcus Thuram gets that centre-forward spot

“In that case, we have [Kylian] Mbappe on the left, [Marcus] Thuram centrally and Ousmane Dembele on the right. [Olivier] Giroud could potentially start, but I think he's a bit behind Thuram in the pecking order.

“But if Deschamps decides to start Dembele and Coman on each wing, then Mbappe would move from the left wing to the centre forward, so I think it will be: Maignan, Kounde, Upamecano, Konate, Theo Hernandez; Tchoumeni, Rabiot, Griezmann, then Mbappe, Thuram and Dembele.”

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