Rumours emerged from France on Friday afternoon that Zinedine Zidane plans to call up Enzo Le Fée to his first France squad ahead of the upcoming international break.
For anyone who has watched him in a Sunderland shirt over the last two years, it will come as no surprise to anyone in red and white. In fact, the only surprising thing is that it has taken this long.
Zidane was one of the greatest players to walk planet Earth, so, of course, we trust his judgement of a player. The man knows a baller
when he sees one. But I’m not quite sure many outside of Sunderland will be able to truly appreciate just how deserved some international recognition for Enzo actually is.
In my view, he’s the best player in our team, and he’s proven that over the last two years with a steady stream of excellent performances for the club, in a variety of positions. Looks can be deceiving, because despite not being the biggest lad on the pitch, his size doesn’t matter and, if anything, it’s helped him to become an even better player. His ability to receive the ball under pressure, find space, and make things happen in tight areas is a huge part of what makes him such a special player.
His rise from an unfancied Roma benchwarmer to one of the best playmakers in the best league in the world is a testament to the brilliant work of Régis Le Bris and, of course, the vision it took to get him to sign for Sunderland in the first place.
When you really think about it, the fact we even attracted him to play in the Championship was a ridiculous bit of business. But he’s really found a home here at Sunderland, playing under a coach who he loves and trusts, and who knows just how to get the very best from him.
There’s a huge difference between simply playing football and playing football in an environment where you know your manager trusts you completely. Le Fée has found that at Sunderland, and you can see the confidence it has given him. He looks like a player who knows exactly what is expected of him, and that freedom has allowed him to flourish.
So good was Enzo last season that I was genuinely shocked that neither he nor Nordi Mukiele made it into France’s squad for the World Cup in North America over the summer, because, in my view, inferior players who were less in-form made the final cut ahead of them.
I admit that I see this through red-and-white-tinted specs, but I recall saying at the time that I thought they’d be in with a shout of making the first post-tournament squad, because that’s usually when a fresh lick of paint is required and changes are made.
There’s been no sign of Nordi’s inclusion, which is, of course, a travesty, but the story in Le Parisien this week indicated that Le Fée has caught the attention of all the right people and is expected to be in the preliminary squad, which will be formally announced in a week by Zidane ahead of games against Turkey, Belgium and Italy.
Whether or not this leads to him picking up caps is anyone’s guess, but there cannot be any doubting that Le Fée deserves to be there. Potential international honours would also further justify his decision to gamble on coming to Sunderland in the first place.
Many people wondered “why” when he decided to drop from Serie A to the Championship in the first place, but there cannot be any doubting that it was the right move for him and his career.
The talent and promise of what he could deliver in the right environment was always there, but he just needed to find the right club for him, and that’s exactly what Sunderland are.
He didn’t take a step backwards by coming to Sunderland. He took the step he needed to finally become the player he was always capable of being.
He’s started the season excellently – let’s just hope that he keeps it up, and continues to recognise just how important a part of this club he is, and how it’s helped him to become the player he was always destined to be.
Two years on, with France potentially calling, I think we have our answer.
