Pierre Kalulu has been a key player for AC Milan since he formed the partnership with Fikayo Tomori in the second half of last season. As such, the youngster is now also making strides on a national level.
The 22-year-old, who arrived for a mere €500k from Lyon in 2020, has become a very strong centre-back and is now considered a starter at Milan. It’s not exactly surprising, therefore, that France’s head coach Didier Deschamps is watching on.
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Kalulu has been playing with the U21 side up until now but it might be time for him to make the big step soon. However, whether that will be before the World Cup is another question, given the importance of the tournament.
Speaking to Bein Sports, as cited by Patrick Kendrick (see video below), Kalulu was asked about potentially getting called up to the first team. He stated that it will be up to the manager, even if he hinted that he’s ready.
“It’s up to Deschamps to say whether I’m in his plans or not. Players my age like Camavinga and Tchouameni have been called up. Personally now I’m at Milan and playing in the Champions League, I’d like to be in the conversation but I’m sure my hard work will pay off.
“I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t agree to that [going to Qatar as a bit-part player]. As a competitor, you want to play as much as possible but a World Cup is the pinnacle for a player and what we’ve all been striving for since we were kids and you’ll do anything to achieve it,” he stated.
Kalulu tells @beinsports_FR: "It's up to Deschamps to say whether I'm in his plans or not. Players my age like Camavinga and Tchouameni have been called up. Personally now I'm at Milan and playing in #UCL I'd like to be in the conversation but I'm sure my hard work will pay off" pic.twitter.com/nZiAkzRlcd
— Patrick Kendrick (@patrickendrick) October 23, 2022
