Kylian Mbappé on Warren Zaïre-Emery’s France call-up: ‘It makes me feel a bit old!’

Kylian Mbappé (24) has said that the presence of Warren Zaïre-Emery in the France set-up “makes him feel a bit old”. The latter looks set to make his debut for Les Bleus against Gibraltar on Saturday. 

Eight years separate Mbappé and club and international teammate Zaïre-Emery. The latter has experienced a meteoric rise in the past year. He has gone from the academy to the first team at Paris Saint-Germain and has been fast-tracked through Les Bleus’ setup. 

Zaiïre-Emery set for first France appearance – Deschamps

Speaking at Friday’s press conference, transcribed by Get French Football News, Mbappé admitted that Zaïre-Emery’s presence in the squad has had an ageing effect. “He is fascinating. He is already very mature and he plays with a lot of personality. He is a modern midfielder, who isn’t scared of going forward with the ball. What we have to do is accompany him. I don’t have any advice to give him because he is learning very quickly and on his own [..] 17-years-old, it’s the same age as my brother (Ethan Mbappé), it’s mad! I’m not old, but it makes me feel a bit old! The guy arrives and does his homework,” joked Mbappé in his first press conference since mid-June. 

Mbappé was followed by Didier Deschamps, who confirmed that Zaïre-Emery will indeed make his France debut against Gibraltar on Saturday, however, he wasn’t drawn on whether he would start. “If he doesn’t start tomorrow, he will become an international in any case,” said Deschamps.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle