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In the France squad that faced Spain on Tuesday evening at the Stade de France, 15 players are currently playing in Ligue 1, the most Didier Deschamps has ever picked. Fifteen of them are 25 or younger. It is the youngest squad called up by the manager since he took charge of the team in the summer of 2012. At an average age of 24, it's also one of the youngest squads in the country's long history. The future is certainly very bright for France. Who else is set to break through in the coming years? Alban Lafont | Goalkeeper | 18 | Toulouse His time in France's first team will come. For now, he is happy to be playing with the U-20 side, but there's no doubt that he'll one day follow in the glorious footsteps of Joel Bats, Fabien Barthez or Hugo Lloris. He has been starring for Toulouse the past 18 months, since he made his debut at 16 years, 309 days in November 2015. He even kept two clean sheets in his first two league matches. Like Gianluigi Donnarumma in Italy, he is extremely mature for his age and so good on his line. His size helps too: He's nearly 6-foot-4 and still growing. Djibril Sidibé | Right-back | 24 | AS Monaco At 24, he is a bit of a late bloomer for France, albeit in a position where talent is a little thinner than Les Bleus might like. But Sidibé's incredible improvement this season under Leonardo Jardim has caught everyone's eye. He has been outstanding both domestically and in the Champions League, and he made his France debut too. He is impressive physically and never stops running up and down the right side. Defensively, he has made dramatic leaps as well. Issa Diop | Centre-back | 20 | Toulouse France are very lucky to have so many talented young centre-halves. Raphael Varane and Samuel Umtiti are still only 23, Kurt Zouma and Aymeric Laporte are 22, and Clément Lenglet, Presnel Kimpembe and Lucas Hernandez are 21. Diop just turned 20 and has everything to become the next Marcel Desailly. He is very strong physically (and imposing at 6-foot-4) but with pace, a good reading of the game and leadership qualities. Like Lafont, he is part of Toulouse's imminent "golden generation" and made his debut for the first team at 18. Already he has 46 Ligue 1 matches under his belt and is growing in confidence at a pleasing rate. Presnel Kimpembe | Centre-back | 21 | Paris Saint-Germain Deschamps has called Kimpembe up for the last two international breaks. The France head coach likes him a lot, and he is not the only one. Kimpembe's wonderful display in the Champions League last-16 first leg against Barcelona confirmed his great potential. He has everything -- physically, technically, mentally and tactically -- to become a world-class central defender. It's easy to see why so many of the big European clubs wanted him when his situation at PSG was unclear, but he has since committed his long-term future to Paris and looks to be doing the same with France. Benjamin Mendy | Left-back | 22 | AS Monaco Mendy is two years younger than Sidibé but has followed the same path this season. His arrival at Monaco last summer changed everything: he has since gone from a player with untapped talent to a real dominant force at left-back, even celebrating his first cap for France last week with an assist. After trying Layvin Kurzawa (24 years old) and Lucas Digne (23) to replace Patrice Evra (35), Deschamps has finally found the right option in Mendy. Corentin Tolisso | Defensive Midfield | 22 | Lyon Blessed with both talent and versatility, Tolisso is like a Swiss Army knife: he can play anywhere you want, and you can ask him to do anything you want. Whether it's scoring, passing or defending, he's good wherever you play him. He is now one of Lyon's leaders, having been such a key player this season, and Deschamps handed him his first France call-up this month. Top clubs such as Juventus are now queuing up to sign him in the summer -- and he won't be cheap. Tiémoué Bakayoko | Central Midfield | 22 | AS Monaco Competition is tough for a starting central midfield spot for France; it always has been. But when Paul Pogba got injured just before the March international break, Didier Deschamps brought Bakayoko in for the first time. At 22, the Paris-born midfielder fully deserved it. He has been immense this season for Monaco with his aggressive, assertive play but also his passing range. He is a leader and has all the tools to become another top French two-way midfielder, as we saw from him in the Champions League this season. Adrien Rabiot | Central Midfield | 21 | Paris Saint-Germain At 21, it looks like the sky is the limit for Rabiot. He has so much talent, it's unreal. He can play every position in midfield, whether shielding the back four, roaming from box to box or even as a central playmaker behind the striker. He is classy and technically gifted, he boasts a proper football brain and great vision, and he is a strong character too, a player who knows what he wants. He has played more than 100 times for PSG already and keeps improving all the time. Nice midfielder Wylan Cyprien, 22, has the potential to be a France international soon too. Thomas Lemar | Winger | 21 | AS Monaco Lemar has one of the best left feet in Ligue 1 and possesses that class and elegance of the very best. His movement is outstanding both on and off the ball, and his partnership with Mendy on the left side has been one of the best connections in Europe this season. He is a creator and makes things happen (five goals and six assists in Ligue 1 so far this campaign), and Deschamps gave him his France debut in November. Kylian Mbappe | Striker | 18 | Monaco Mbappe seems to come from a different planet. He is an incredible prodigy, one you don't see that often. At 18 years, three months and five days, he made his debut for France last week against Luxemburg and became one of the youngest to play for Les Bleus. He has been on fire since February, totally unstoppable (13 goals in nine games), and no one in Europe has scored more than he has the past seven weeks. His price tag is already reportedly around the €70 million and seems to increase with every passing game. Florian Thauvin | Winger | 24 | Marseille It's hard to believe that Thauvin had to wait until he turned 24 before he got his first call-up for France, finally selected this month. Because the talent has always been there, he was a key part of the 2013 golden generation that won the U-20 World Cup along with Pogba, Umtiti and Geoffrey Kondogbia, but he matured as a player at a slower rate than his peers, with his attitude reportedly disappointing some of his managers. This season, however, has seen him break through. With 10 league goals and six assists, he is finally fulfilling his potential.
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