- 15 hours ago
Real Madrid get more GREAT Mbappe news
Real Madrid welcomed Kylian Mbappe back to action after an injury scare far earlier than expected on Wednesday, and the Bernabeu club has received another update on the striker that will delight head coach Carlo Ancelotti.
The Italian boss admitted that he was “worried” by aspects of what he saw as Real Madrid were surprisingly beaten 1-0 by Lille in the Champions League – the first defeat his side have suffered in 90 minutes for more than a year – but the experienced manager was able to call upon Mbappe far earlier than expected.
The 25-year-old striker had been expected to miss out for several weeks because of a groin injury, with his forecast return date only expected to be after the international break. Mbappe, though, came off the bench early in the second half in midweek, though was unable to impact the outcome of the match.
France head coach Didier Deschamps might have rejoiced, too, at the possibility of having the forward back available for Les Bleus, particularly after Antoine Griezmann’s shock retirement from international football.
Deschamps, though, is prepared to be patient with Mbappe and will leave him out of the Nations League matches against Israel and Belgium, according to L’Equipe.
Welcome break for Mbappe
This is news that will no doubt go down well in Madrid, where the prospect of the striker having a week or two off is doubtless a pleasing one.
The last couple of years for the former PSG striker have, after all, been infernal.
Mbappe, who is the most valuable player in the world, has been playing non-stop since August 2023 due to the European Championship this summer, which meant he had a matter of days off before completing his dream move to Real Madrid.
Prior to that, he had spent the last summer in a very public dispute with PSG over his decision not to sign an optional year on his contract.
Even a few days of downtime, then, will be welcome for the striker.
Although Mbappe has not escaped criticism early in his days at Real Madrid, he has still managed to score seven goals in 10 games for his new club while weighing in with one assist.