Kylian Mbappé returned to France training on Wednesday – for the first time since breaking his nose in their Euro 2024 opener – but Didier Deschamps confirmed his captain will require surgery at some point, most likely after the tournament.
France are sourcing a custom-made mask for Mbappé, who trained alone at their base in Paderborn before joining in a finishing drill with the rest of his teammates. Mbappé wore wound-closure strips across his nose and was limited to non-contact exercises.
The 25-year-old Real Madrid forward is expected to miss France’s game against the Netherlands on Friday in Leipzig but the French Football Federation is optimistic he will return in time to feature prominently at the tournament. On Wednesday Mbappé posted on Instagram: “Sans risqué il n’y pas de victoires” – without risks there are no victories – with a smiling face emoji.
Mbappé had tests at Düsseldorf hospital after the collision with Austria’s Kevin Danso on Monday and Deschamps said his medical staff continue to monitor his condition. “Even if there is not surgery immediately, he will have to do it after the tournament,” the France manager said. “This morning [Wednesday] he was already a little better, so we will see. We will follow it closely every day.”
The France midfielder Adrien Rabiot said he was confident Mbappé will return to action quickly. His Juventus club-mate and Poland goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny had surgery after breaking his nose in April. France face Poland in their final Group D match in Dortmund on Tuesday. “A fractured nose isn’t the end of the world, so he should be with us pretty soon,” Rabiot said.
Rabiot insisted France can cope without their star player. “We definitely want him to play but looking at who we have on the bench we have what it takes to replace Kylian,” he said. “We have to count on the group. If he is not there then it is going to be more tough but I trust the great players we have on the team.”
