Malo Gusto will be keen to put much of this season behind him, having largely fallen out of favour at both Chelsea and with the France national team.

However, the full-back was handed an opportunity to impress in France's Nations League clash against Italy last night, with his inclusion in the starting XI perhaps coming as a welcome surprise.

The absences of Jules Kounde and Pierre Kalulu through injury played a part in Gusto's selection, but it nevertheless provided him with a valuable opportunity to impress France's new head coach and stake his claim for a regular place.

Unfortunately, Gusto did quite the opposite, delivering a performance he will want to forget. Even Zinedine Zidane could find little positive to take from the display, commenting that "these things happen" when discussing the full-back's struggles. It was a damaging opportunity missed by Gusto, and one that could leave his international prospects under Zidane looking increasingly uncertain.

This performance comes after his Chelsea time looks to be coming to an end with clubs interested in his services.

Michael Olise gave France the lead, but things quickly unravelled as an inspired Italy side exposed Gusto's defensive weaknesses. Nicolo Cambiaghi repeatedly got the better of the Chelsea full-back, providing the assist for Pio Esposito's equaliser before Gusto went on to concede a penalty.

His difficult evening eventually came to an end when he was withdrawn for Wolfsburg's Sael Kumbedi. The substitution brought relief for both Gusto and the French supporters, as the debutant came on to make his first appearance for the national team.

Media reaction

Player ratings carry significant weight in the French media, with footballers often keen to check newspapers and online outlets the following morning to see how their performances have been judged. Unfortunately for Gusto, the verdict made for particularly grim reading, with none of the major outlets awarding him more than 2/10.

L'Equipe was the harshest, handing him a 1.5/10, the lowest rating of the evening, as several of France's defensive players came under fire. RMC Sport awarded him 2/10, highlighting his defensive struggles in one-on-one situations and even calling for two new full-backs to be brought into the team for the next game.

Get French Football News and Foot Mercato were equally critical, both giving Gusto 2/10. The latter also highlighted an issue Chelsea supporters have been pointing out for some time: his lack of physicality.

It increasingly feels as though Gusto's time at Chelsea could be coming to an end, with many supporters unlikely to oppose a departure. However, rebuilding his reputation with France and earning a recall under Zinedine Zidane could prove an even tougher challenge after such a disappointing international performance.