France captain Kylian Mbappe will miss the 1-0 Nations League win against Turkey on Friday at Kocaeli Stadium after sustaining an injury to his right knee. The opening goal of the game came to Mbappe’s hands, but the French international struggled to see the end of the game after seemingly aggravating an issue in his knee shortly after taking the ball.
The Real Madrid striker was treated before being sent back on to the field for a short time. But his pain persisted and he was sent back down about a minute later – and in the 58th minute, France manager Zinedine Zidane made a substitution.
With France for the first time in charge, Zidane said it was a decision that was taken to play it safe with his captain. He said that Mbappe’s knee had swollen after the incident. Later, the French Football Federation confirmed that the 27-year-old had a knee tendon injury and will return to Madrid for more in-depth investigations and treatment.
Expect the development to be of great interest at Real Madrid, who are currently eagerly waiting to get a better idea of the injury and when Mbappe will return. Prior to his withdrawal, Mbappe had given France the game-winning opportunity in a tight game. His goal was to give Zidane a winning start to his first game in charge of the national team and earn three points.
France will now keep a close eye on Mbappe’s progress for their next Nations League game. Further examinations in Madrid are likely to give a clearer picture of the damage sustained and this is expected to influence the extent of the injury.
The situation will be of critical importance for Real Madrid, who will have to evaluate one of their premier attacking players. France will also be hoping that the problem hasn’t become a long-term fixture and that their captain can cope with it.
