Arsenal and France defender William Saliba was mocked by compatriot Dimitri Payet for the circumstances of his first international call-up, but took the taunt in good spirits.
Saliba is currently on loan at Marseille, and his form for the club has earned him senior France recognition. The centre-back made his debut for Les Bleus in a friendly against Cote d'Ivoire in March, and followed it with a maiden start in a victory over South Africa, playing the full 90 minutes.
Another of Marseille's stars, Payet, knows what it takes to represent his country after impressing during the run to the Euro 2016 final. And the former West Ham United star had a joke at his colleague's expense after Saliba got the call from Didier Deschamps.
Speaking to RMC's 'The Locker Room' show, Payet confirmed he was available for selection. However, he recognised "When you see the attacking potential of the Blues, places are expensive".
With the likes of Christopher Nkunku and Kingsley Coman competing with Payet for inclusion behind star names like Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann, and the likes of Ousmane Dembele and Thomas Lemar missing out on the last squad, competition is fierce.
When reminded of the fact that Saliba made the cut, though, Payet joked that the only reason was "because there were 14 injured behind him". He added that "At one point it was either him or they were calling [Lilian] Thuram back," prompting laughter from Saliba.
While there were some injury-enforced absences, France still had an impressive array of defenders to call upon. Manchester United's Raphael Varane was involved, along with Paris Saint-Germain's Presnel Kimpembe and Jules Kounde.
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Payet has been in impressive form himself, scoring his 13th goal of the season as Marseille beat PAOK in the first leg of their Europa Conference League quarter-final. However, his last France cap came back in 2018, shortly after he was ruled out of the World Cup through injury.
Saliba has spoken of his pride at receiving international recognition, but the next challenge for him is holding down a regular spot back at parent club Arsenal. Ben White and Gabriel have impressed at centre-back this season as the Gunners have pushed for a top-four finish, and manager Mikel Arteta has been keeping a close eye on the 21-year-old's loan exploits.
"We are really aware of what he’s doing, how he’s developing," Arteta said in March. "He’s our player and we are really happy with the decision that we made.
"The exposure, minutes, responsibility and growth at his age is something we could not guarantee him this season. It makes a lot of sense what is happening with him and we are glad to see him the way he is improving."
