France greats praise Liverpool's Jeremy Jacquet after two senior caps

Two games into his France career, Liverpool defender Jeremy Jacquet is drawing rave reviews from Zinedine Zidane and other icons of the French game.

Jeremy Jacquet's senior international career spans exactly two matches, and already it has produced glowing verdicts from some of the most revered figures in French football. The 21-year-old center back, who plays his club soccer at Liverpool, has stepped into the national setup and made an immediate mark.

His first cap came in the UEFA Nations League last week, when France beat Belgium. He kept his place for Friday's match against Italy and delivered an eye-catching performance in the 1-1 draw.

Selection at all reflected how smoothly he has settled on Merseyside. Strong showings across his opening outings for the Reds — above all how reliably he has come out on top in individual duels — prompted his inclusion in the squad.

Zinedine Zidane, now France's head coach, left no doubt about his assessment of the Italy display when speaking to The Athletic. "Very good. Very, very good. Brave. He wasn't afraid to come out a long way. Very good in the duels. He was, once again, very good. I said it four times."

Samuel Umtiti, the former Barcelona center back, struck a similar tone. In an interview with After Foot relayed by RMC Sport, he said: "He's a defender, he wins his duels, he's very clean. I loved making passes, breaking lines… I saw him do it, try things, and it's rare these days to find defenders like that. The priority when you're a defender is to defend well, and he did it very well. It's great to see."

Another veteran of France's 1998 World Cup-winning squad echoed the enthusiasm, arguing that Jacquet is the catalyst in his pairing with Virgil van Dijk rather than the beneficiary of it. "He's the one who brings out the best in [Virgil] Van Dijk, not the other way around," that former player said, adding that Jacquet embraces one-on-one situations, reads play sharply and anticipates danger, and that the two give the impression of having lined up together for three or four years.

The data matched the eye test. Sofascore's numbers from the Italy match pointed to an all-round showing, headlined by a passing record in which none of his attempts went astray. The context sharpens the achievement: France have gone at least as far as the last four at each of the past three World Cups, and a player with virtually no international background has slotted into that environment without difficulty.

The timing also matters for his club. With van Dijk potentially in his closing season at Anfield, Liverpool face a demanding search for a long-term replacement, and the early signs point to a candidate of the highest level already on the roster. A bigger body of work is still required before Jacquet is regarded as the eventual successor, but everything seen so far points in that direction.

France round out this international window with their fourth and final match of the break, hosting Belgium at the Stade de France on Monday, October 5. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:45 PM EDT.