Kylian Mbappe will miss France’s UEFA Nations League clash with Italy in Milan on Thursday night after a hamstring problem, head coach Zinedine Zidane has confirmed — the latest setback in the captain’s stop-start season with Les Bleus.
The Real Madrid forward sat out training on Wednesday, and French sports daily L’Equipe reported the hamstring issue before Zidane confirmed the news at his pre-match press conference. “He will be out tomorrow. He felt a slight pain and, as usual, we won’t take any risks,” Zidane said. “Losing players is regrettable, but it’s part of the game. I hope it’s nothing serious and that we’ll have him back on Sunday.”
That Sunday date is France’s next Nations League fixture, at home to Turkey in Bordeaux — the same opponents Mbappe scored the winner against in September, only to limp off with a knee injury.
Kylian Mbappe’s stop-start France comeback
Mbappe has endured a frustrating start to life under Zidane as France coach. He injured his left knee while scoring the only goal of the game in Zidane’s first match in charge, the Nations League win in Turkey on 25 September, and missed France’s next three matches as a result.
His return to the squad for this camp was supposed to mark a fresh start, with the 27-year-old back playing regularly for Real Madrid. Instead, the hamstring problem means he will now have missed four of Zidane’s first five games in charge of Les Bleus — and France must again plan without their captain and all-time leading scorer.
France’s injury list keeps growing
Mbappe is far from the only absentee. Zidane’s plans for the Italy and Turkey games have already been hit by injuries to William Saliba, Jules Kounde, Maxence Lacroix, Manu Kone and Ousmane Dembele, all ruled out of the camp.
Paris Saint-Germain forward Senny Mayulu has been handed a first senior call-up to plug the gap, but the depth of the list underlines why Zidane is taking no chances with his captain. France still top Nations League Group A3 with three wins and a draw from four games, three points ahead of Italy — and a win at San Siro on Thursday would seal their place in the quarter-finals.
Reports of friction — but Zidane backs his captain
French media have also reported tension between Mbappe and Zidane over the captain’s role in the side, with L’Equipe reporting the forward was deployed out wide in September while Dembele led the line. Zidane has since indicated Mbappe would return to his preferred central role against Italy and Turkey, with Dembele now injured — though nobody has gone on the record with any complaint.
For now, the focus is on getting Mbappe fit again. Real Madrid will hope the problem is as minor as Zidane suggests, with the forward expected to be available for Sunday’s Turkey game if his recovery goes to plan.
For more on tonight’s Nations League action, check today’s predictions. England also play tonight — Harry Kane starts for a record 126th cap as England host Croatia at Wembley.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0, Bryan Berlin) — collage by SportsBuddy
