AC Milan defender Theo Hernandez continued his excellent form for his country on Saturday night, assisting Kylian Mbappe for the winning goal.
La Gazzetta dello Sport talk about how Theo has seized the opportunity that fell to him in unfortunate circumstances given that Lucas Hernandez – who was ahead in the hierarchy of Didier Deschamps – suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in his left knee.
Theo was ready and he took advantage of the sliding door that fate presented him by continuing what he has been doing at Milan for two and a half seasons, pursuing a World Cup winner medal which would go hand in hand with the Scudetto he won with the Rossoneri.
In Qatar he is already on two assists, which is his specialty at the moment given the quality and speed he ensures going forward. He put a perfect cross on the head of Adrien Rabiot to equalise against Australia, then he fed Mbappe to make it 1-0 against the Danes.
He has formed a fantastic pairing with Rafael Leao on the left side at Milan and now he has done the same with Kylian for Les Bleus. Theo might just be an immovable member of the starting line-up for country as well as club.
That Lucas was ahead of Theo in the pecking order says a lot about the unbelievable stubbornness that characterizes many football managers.