Zidane defends under-fire Dembélé as France star struggles to replicate PSG form

France manager Zinédine Zidane has strongly defended Ousmane Dembélé amid criticism of the Ballon d’Or winner’s performances for Les Bleus. According to Get Football News France, Dembélé had struggled to reproduce his Paris Saint-Germain form during France’s international campaign, failing to score in three matches before Monday’s clash with Belgium.

Zidane, however, rejected calls to criticise the forward, insisting: “Ousmane is Ousmane.” The France boss highlighted Dembélé’s movement and said he had no reason to criticise him. Zidane also backed his captain to respond against Belgium, maintaining confidence in the under-fire forward despite growing scrutiny.