France will get their UEFA Nations League campaign underway against Turkiye on Friday night. For the first time in 14 years, Les Bleus will compete in a game in which Didier Deschamps is not their manager. Zinédine Zidane will make his debut in the dugout, but in a funny turn of events, Deschamps could just as easily have been in the opposite dugout, as per a report from Le Figaro.

Deschamps announced that he would take his leave as France manager all the way back in January 2025, over 18 months before his actual departure date, in the wake of Les Bleus’ exit from this summer’s FIFA World Cup. Speaking ahead of that tournament, Deschamps said that he would not go into retirement and that he was open to any opportunities.

He has yet to find a new role and, as reported by L’Équipe, a year-long sabbatical is a possibility. In any case, he is not expected to make a return in the dugout until November at the earliest. But that is not to say that he has not had offers. One of them has come from Turkiye; the former France manager politely declined, Le Figaro understands.