Although Warren Zaïre-Emery made 26 Ligue 1 Uber Eats appearances in 2022-23, it has been in the current campaign that he has really burst onto the scene. Now a first choice in midfield for Luis Enrique, France U21 international captain Zaïre-Emery has been racking up the game time - and racking up the goal involvements.

Now with goals in successive matches as well as a total five assists across all competitions - including three in a stunning start to his UEFA Champions League career -  Zaïre-Emery has shown he has a maturity that belies his tender years... and a certain Didier Deschamps did not fail to take notice.

Deschamps: 'Warren is a candidate for the next Euro'

"Given what he's achieved since the last camp, he's here with us. He has all the qualities to be at the very highest level. There's a lot of competition in his position. But he's showing enormous potential with his club and at his age. This is an important step. Everything is moving very fast for him. But he has the ability to take on these responsibilities," explained the heavily decorated France boss, a midfielder himself back in the day. "There are players who can be mature at 30 and others who get there younger. I sometimes grant extenuating circumstances when they are younger, or for their first caps. Warren is a candidate for the next Euro [14 June - 14 July in Germany]. He's a complete midfielder at his age. He should be able to express that with the French senior team. I don't choose to put players on the pitch based on their date of birth."

Although there was room for Deschamps' former France teammate Thierry 'Titi' Henry - who is now coach of France U21, who are coincidentally known as Les Titis - to get his nose out of joint as his captain got the call to go upstairs, Deschamps made out clear that everyone is pulling in the same direction in the wider project of developing France's talents.

"It went really well. He found out before you did!" laughed Deschamps of 'the talk'. "Circumstances also led me to call up Castello [Lukeba] and Malo [Gusto] at the last training camp. Thierry gives me his feedback. It's an enriching experience. I know he'd prefer to have his captain. But he knows very well that it can happen very early on."

Deschamps: 'Plenty to choose from'

And it must be said that this common project is going extremely well, such is the pool of talent that Deschamps - and Henry - have at their disposal.

"I'm not going to complain about having a large pool of players. Maybe not in every position, but it's very rich. It's been rejuvenated since the World Cup with the retirement of key players (Lloris, Mandanda, Varane)," Deschamps explained. "Many young players are performing well. So much the better for France and Titi's U21 team. That leaves plenty to choose from. France has always had this capacity to be successful in youth development - even if these players are leaving abroad earlier and earlier. I'm not going to complain about this abundance and, above all, this abundance of quality."

Although the France boss won't complain, it doesn't mean that he has no selection headaches - although it could be said that a recent toe fracture for Real Madrid star Aurélien Tchouaméni made his choice to call up Zaïre-Emery even easier.

This ain't something else. This is this.

"Aurélien's absence did not affect Warren's presence," said Deschamps before channelling Robert De Niro's character from The Deer Hunter. "Aurélien isn't here. Warren is here."

Should Zaïre-Emery (17 years, eight months and ten days) earn his first cap during this camp, he will become the third-youngest player ever to represent France, following in the extremely old footsteps of Julien Verbrugghe (16 years, ten months and six days in 1906) and Maurice Gastiger (17 years, four months and five days in 1914).

>> ONE TO WATCH: Warren Zaïre-Emery's brilliance lost on no-one

The already qualified Bleus will round out their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign by taking on Gibraltar at the Allianz Riviera in Nice on 18 November before facing Greece in Athens three days later.

The full squad:

Goalkeepers: Alphonse Areola (West Ham/ENG), Mike Maignan (AC Milan/ITA), Brice Samba (Lens).

Defenders: Jonathan Clauss (Marseille), Lucas Hernandez (PSG), Theo Hernandez (AC Milan/ITA), Ibrahima Konaté (Liverpool/ENG), Jules Koundé (FC Barcelona/ESP), William Saliba (Arsenal/ENG), Jean-Clair Todibo (Nice), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich/GER).

Midfielders: Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid/ESP), Youssouf Fofana (Monaco), Boubacar Kamara (Aston Villa/ENG), Adrien Rabiot (Juventus Turin/ITA), Warren Zaïre-Emery (PSG).

Forwards: Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich/GER), Ousmane Dembélé (PSG), Olivier Giroud (AC Milan/ITA), Antoine Griezmann (Atlético de Madrid/ESP), Randal Kolo Muani (PSG), Kylian Mbappé (PSG), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan/ITA).