Marseille midfielder Lassana Diarra could force his way back into the France squad in time for Euro 2016, former national team coach manager Raymond Domenech believes.
Diarra, 30, joined Marseille in July and soon caught the eye with a wonderful debut goal in a 6-0 victory over Troyes in August.
The former Real Madrid defensive midfielder was outstanding in Sunday's 1-1 draw against Lyon and he also put in a solid shift in Wednesday's draw at Toulouse.
Diarra's form is all the more remarkable considering he found himself without a club last season amid a contract dispute with Lokomotiv Moscow. The disagreement with his former team prevented Diarra from signing for West Ham in February.
However, Domenech said he was always confident that the former Chelsea and Portsmouth player would thrive in the south of France.
"It was a gamble and it's already paid off," he told France Football. "But for those that knew him, it was a foregone conclusion.
"I know him so I'm not surprised. He's at his level."
Domenech, who gave Diarra his debut for France in 2007, says that the way the former Arsenal man is performing reminds him of when Claude Makelele was at Real Madrid.
Diarra earned the last of his 28 caps in 2010 but Domenech feels that current France boss Didier Deschamps will be keeping a close watch as Euro 2016 draws nearer.
"Didier is going to see him because he's living beside Marseille," Domenech told France Football.
"It will be up to him to decide if he has better in his team. Lassana still has a chance to catch up with the train and I really hope he does."
Diarra, who won the FA Cup with Portsmouth in 2008, has been repeatedly praised by Marseille manager Michel in recent days.
Marseille were reduced to 10 men before half-time against Lyon but Michel said Diarra's tireless display meant it did not look that way.
"With the performance he put in, it seemed like we were playing with 12 players," the Spanish coach said after the game.
"It's nothing new -- he's getting better and better. When the younger players see such a professional, it's unthinkable that they wouldn't follow his example."
The former Getafe, Sevilla and Olympiacos boss returned to the subject on Tuesday, saying Diarra had already become a leader within the team.
"I'm not the one who assigned him that role. He took it on himself," Michel told a news conference. "He's solving more problems than we ask of him."