France head coach Zinedine Zidane has defended Chelsea defender Malo Gusto who had a rough night in Thursday’s 3-1 Nations League defeat to Italy.

Gusto was left out of Zidane’s previous France squad in the September-October international break amid his struggles for minutes at Chelsea.

It has not been much better for the 23-year-old at Chelsea since then. He has only made four appearances for the Blues since the last break, only one of which was as a starter, despite Reece James’ long-term injury absence.

It was a pleasant surprise for Gusto, therefore, when Zidane named him in his latest France squad for the November international break. Jules Kounde and Pierre Kalulu’s injury absences certainly played a part, but this still gave Gusto the opportunity to impress the new head coach.

Unfortunately, it did not go too well for him in his first start under Zidane.

Gusto started at right-back in France’s away Nations League fixture against Italy, and it was very clear he was a defensive liability on the pitch.

After Michael Olise gave the visitors the lead early in the first half, it was Gusto’s poor defending that cost them Italy’s equaliser. Bologna forward Nicolo Cambiaghi beat Gusto down the left before providing the assist for Francesco Pio Esposito in the 26th minute.

Gusto continued to struggle to deal with Cambiaghi all night, and early in the second half, the former mowed down the Italian inside the box and conceded a penalty. Luckily, Sebastian Esposito could not convert the spot kick, but Gusto’s nightmare did not end there.

Italy retook the lead in the 63rd minute, and, unsurprisingly, it came from Gusto’s flank. Gusto could not stop Federico Dimarco’s low cross, and Davide Frattesi had an easy task to score from close range.

Italy conceded another penalty in the 74th minute, but at least this time, Gusto was not directly involved. Bayern Munich defender Dayot Upamecano committed the foul, and this time, Italy did not miss the opportunity from the spot to double their lead.

Gusto’s frustrating night ended not long after. He was substituted off in the 77th minute, with Zidane making four changes to try to push for a draw, albeit to no avail.

The France boss inevitably faced questions about Gusto’s poor display after the game, and he made it clear that the Chelsea defender was not solely responsible for the defeat.

“Malo played his part; it wasn’t a bad performance,” Zidane defended the right-back after the defeat.

“He conceded a penalty - these things happen - but I prefer to analyse the overall picture rather than individual incidents.”

Zidane also dismissed the suggestion of the need to use Paris Saint-Germain’s versatile midfielder, Warren Zaire-Emery, at right-back to strengthen this area.

“When I select a player, I want to see him in his natural position. As for Warren, I want to see him in midfield,” the former Real Madrid manager clarified.

“On the right, with Malo and Sael (Kumbedi), we’re in good shape.”

It is unclear how much Gusto’s sporadic minutes at Chelsea have had an effect on his confidence and performance overall. However, the former Lyon star has recently been reported to be open to leaving Stamford Bridge in January in pursuit of more regular minutes elsewhere.