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Real Madrid are anxiously monitoring Kylian Mbappé's physical condition after the French star reportedly worsened a hamstring issue during international duty.
Mbappé linked up with Zinédine Zidane's squad for the November international window, aiming to spearhead Les Bleus in UEFA Nations League fixtures against Italy and Türkiye. However, concern grew on Wednesday when the striker was absent from training sessions.
L'Équipe reports that Mbappé is dealing with a hamstring strain and will be ruled out of Thursday's encounter with Italy. The camp "hopes" its skipper will be fit to face Türkiye, meaning he will stay with the squad, in contrast to Aurélien Tchouaméni.
The midfielder spent only a few days with France before being sent back to Madrid with a right adductor problem. Tchouaméni is currently undergoing additional assessments to establish the extent of the injury.
The Bright Side of Mbappé's Worrying Injury Update
Even the smallest setback involving Mbappé would be a significant blow for Real Madrid. The French international leads the side with 17 goals across 16 outings, and is currently riding a seven-match scoring run.
However, there's no need to panic just yet. Had the hamstring problem been a serious injury, Mbappé would have been sent home straight away, much as he was during the September-October international break.
Given that the 27-year-old is remaining with France, he is most likely managing a minor complaint that doesn't require intensive treatment. Should Mbappé indeed sit out against Italy, he gains three additional days to return to peak condition ahead of Sunday's match involving Arda Güler and company.
José Mourinho and Real Madrid would naturally prefer their star forward to return to the Spanish capital at the earliest hint of trouble, but Mbappé and the French camp clearly believe he doesn't need to withdraw from international duty at this stage.
The situation may evolve over the next few days, but for now it appears Mbappé has avoided a serious setback.
Mbappé's Workload Taking a Toll
It comes as little surprise that Mbappé is experiencing discomfort. The Frenchman has accumulated a concerning number of minutes throughout Real Madrid's eight-match winning run.
Not only has Mbappé featured in the starting lineup for every game, but he has also played no fewer than 84 minutes in each appearance.
Opponent | Result | Mbappé's Minutes |
|---|---|---|
Valencia (A) | 3–0 W | 89 minutes |
AEK Athens (A) | 3–2 W | 90 minutes |
Racing Santander (A) | 3–0 W | 90 minutes |
Barcelona (A) | 2–1 W | 90 minutes |
RB Leipzig (H) | 4–1 W | 88 minutes |
Sevilla (H) | 4–1 W | 84 minutes |
Roma (A) | 4–3 W | 90 minutes |
Villarreal (H) | 1–0 W | 90 minutes |
Mourinho has drawn scrutiny for his handling of Mbappé's playing time. Starting the Frenchman in every match is one thing, but keeping him on the field until the final whistle in games Real Madrid had already put to bed by halftime is another matter entirely.
Against Racing Santander, Los Blancos were already 3–0 up by the 36th minute, yet Mbappé inexplicably played the full 90 minutes. Against Sevilla, Real Madrid led 3–0 by the 63rd minute, and Mbappé wasn't substituted until the 84th minute.
Even in the match against Valencia — a side with just two La Liga wins this season — Mbappé played 89 minutes in a comfortable 3–0 victory.
Heading straight into international duty with France would only have compounded the strain on an already worrying workload. At the very least, Mbappé may now benefit from some extra rest and limited minutes with Les Bleus before returning for a crucial run of fixtures with Real Madrid.