Player selection: Patrick Vieira makes the final decision, "it's my role and my responsibility."

For his first training camp as head coach of the Senegalese national team, Patrick Vieira intends to rely on a balance between the recently integrated young players and the experienced veterans of the squad. The new coach believes that the experience of the veterans will be crucial in guiding the new generation.

"What will really facilitate their integration and their ability to learn from the top level is that the managers will have an important role to play," explained Patrick Vieira.

According to the coach, the presence of experienced players should allow young players called up for selection to progress more quickly and better understand the demands of the highest level.

"I think the balance between these young players coming into the national team and the core players who have some experience in the national team is quite good," he stressed.

Vieira stands by his choices

When questioned more specifically about his midfield choices, Patrick Vieira declined to elaborate. The manager reiterated that the final sporting decisions are his to make.

"I don't want to get involved in the choices. It's my role and my responsibility to make choices, and I'm not going to communicate every time about the whys and wherefores," he replied.

However, he believes that the midfield currently presents an interesting mix of experience, maturity and youth.

"This balance between young players and experienced players, again, I find it to be quite positive and quite good," he added.

With the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations in sight, and 2030 already on their minds.

Patrick Vieira wants to manage two timeframes: meeting immediate objectives while preparing for the future. Qualification for the next Africa Cup of Nations remains the priority, but the coach is already thinking about the 2030 World Cup.

"We are managing in the short term, of course, this qualification for the 2027-2028 Africa Cup, but also a forecast of what may happen or what may come about for this 2030 World Cup," he explained.

For now, however, Vieira wants to focus on the immediate objective: qualifying for the AFCON.

"I know we still have a long way to go and today we will focus on this first objective, which is to qualify for the Africa Cup," he said.

The new coach nevertheless says he is satisfied with the potential of the Senegalese midfield, in particular the complementarity between the experienced players and the young ones destined to become, in time, the future leaders of the Lions.

"I really like this midfield mix of experience, maturity and future young players who could one day be leaders of this national team," concluded Patrick Vieira.