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Malo Gusto (23), despite featuring for France during last summer’s FIFA World Cup, was entirely absent from Zinédine Zidane’s first squad. **[L’Équipe](https://www.lequipe.fr/abonnement/kiosque/le-journal)** have now explained why.
Gusto played in five of _Les Bleus’_ games at the World Cup and started in the third-place play-off against England. Despite being behind Barcelona’s Jules Koundé in the pecking order, he nonetheless played a role in what was Didier Deschamps’ final tournament as manager.
The managerial change over the summer looks not to have worked in Gusto’s favour. The Chelsea defender was entirely absent from Zidane’s first squad, as were other established full-backs such as Théo and Lucas Hernandez. With the likes of Andy Diouf, Adrien Truffert, and Pierre Kalulu called up, Zidane is clearly looking to blood some fresh faces at full-back.
Gusto is a victim of the strategy, and **L’Équipe** understands that Zidane and his staff believe the Olympique Lyonnais academy product does not bring enough defensive guarantees.
[GFFN](https://www.getfootballnewsfrance.com/#google_vignette) | Luke Entwistle