‘Let him do his thing’ – Kylian Mbappé on Warren Zaïre-Emery’s progress

During an interview with TF1, following France’s 14-0 victory against Gibraltar in EURO 2024 qualifying, Kylian Mbappé (24) was asked about the progress and readiness of his club and international teammate Warren Zaïre-Emery (17).

The match against Gibraltar was a memorable but bittersweet night for the French midfielder as he became Les Bleus’ youngest debutant for 109 years and scored his first senior goal for his country, but his debut would only last 16 minutes as he was injured in the process of scoring his goal, following a clumsy challenge by Gibraltar’s Ethan Santos. The PSG midfielder is now expected to be out of action for club and country until 2024. 

When asked about the progress of Zaïre-Emery, the France captain said, “He is ready… I know what it’s like to start your career early and it is not easy to do what he has done, so we have to value that.” The PSG attacker added, “We must encourage him… On the field, he knows what to do and he will progress because he has two great coaches with whom he can work well. However, we have to accompany him on the field and protect him off it, we must not talk to him and should just let him do his thing.”

2023 has been an impressive year for Zaïre-Emery as he has found himself named France U21 captain by Thierry Henry, became a first-team regular for PSG and made his senior debut for Les Bleus. His injury will keep him out until 2024 but don’t be surprised to see the 17-year-old continue to shine next year.

GFFN | Liam Wraith