Manu Koné interview: Admiration for Didier Deschamps, Spain semi-final, and that Croatia comeback

Having made all six of his international appearances in the current edition of the Nations League, Manu Koné is aiming to be an integral part of the new generation of France players eyeing silverware this summer with Les Bleus.

Speaking to UEFA ahead of a semi-final meeting with Spain, the Roma midfielder looks back on France's campaign to date and how coach Didier Deschamps made his transition to international football seamless.

On the comeback against Croatia and their campaign overall

We are happy. It was a proper team effort here at home [against Croatia], in front of many supporters. It was really important for us to win. We're all happy, but it's not over yet; we want to go even further. We'll prepare well for the final four and be ready for when the moment comes. It's been a good run, except for the slip-up [in the first leg against Croatia]. But that's what great teams do; we bounced back and showed our true character. We were losing 2-0 but we won in style at home.

On facing Spain in the semi-finals

We know they're a great team with many amazing players, just like us. We'll study their game to be fully prepared, we'll work hard, and we'll focus on ourselves as well. We'll work on the offensive and defensive parts of our game to get the job done. It will be a great match. We're confident.

On France coach Deschamps

He was a great player for France and managed to successfully transition into a coach, with the many successes he's achieved with the national team. I think it was the next logical step of his career and we're very happy to have him as a coach. We know he'll step down next year, so we'll do everything we can to repay him. We'll fight on the pitch and try our very best. Personally, he made me feel at ease as soon as I joined the group. He knew I had certain qualities and told me to apply them for the benefit of the team. He knew I could bring something extra. He told me to play my game the same way I do when I play for Roma. He makes me feel confident. He's happy, I'm happy; everything is perfect.

Manu Koné and Michael OliseAFP via Getty Images

On what it would feel like to win the Nations League

It would be very emotional. We have a great generation bursting onto the scene, as you can see with Désiré Doué. Michael Olise and I are new to the team as well, as we were called up after the Olympics. We're very happy and we aim to win everything with this team. There are lots of great players [in the team] who won silverware before we arrived. They went far [in tournaments] in 2018 and 2022. We're very confident and we know we can do it.