Mattéo Guendouzi may have made the most recent France squad following his form with Olympique de Marseille, but he says fellow Arsenal-owned player William Saliba has been just as central to OM's cause.
Guendouzi had spent two years in the international wilderness, Didier Deschamps electing not to call him up after the midfielder lost his place at Arsenal and then endured a fruitless spell on loan in the Bundesliga with Hertha Berlin.
He has enjoyed a renaissance under Jorge Sampaoli at OM, though, contributing three goals and three assists in Ligue 1 Uber Eats from a more advanced position than the defensive midfield role Arsenal followers had come to associate him with.
Saliba - like Guendouzi on loan at the Orange Vélodrome from Arsenal for the season - is the captain of France's under-21s, but Guendoouzi thinks his clubmate could be alongside him at full international level.
Watch: Guendouzi assisted the winner as OM beat Clermont last time out
"Physically, he wins all his duels," Guendouzi explained to French daily newspaper La Provence. "He's very fast, very powerful. And what people maybe see a little less is what he does with the ball. It's extraordinary, he finds great passes and he's a very important player for us."
France face Kazakhstan and Finland in FIFA World Cup qualifying over the international break, while the under-21s take on Ukraine and Serbia in an attempt to punch their ticket to the UEFA U19 European Championship.
come. Marseille will then resume their Ligue 1 Uber Eats campaign against Olympique Lyonnais before taking on Galatasary in the UEFA Europa League. Whether for Arsenal, Marseille or France, Guendouzi expects to have Saliba alongside him for a long time to
"I hope I'll play with him for many years," he concluded.
