November 8 – It may seem almost unthinkable but Kylian Mbappe has been left out of the France squad for their upcoming Nations league matches against Israel and Italy even though he is apparently fit.
French coach Didier Deschamps insists the decision is a “one-off” and “for the best”.
The Real Madrid star was rested for last month’s matches in order to help him recover from a minor thigh injury. However, that quickly became a source of controversy when he returned to action for Real days later, before France had even played.
“I have spoken with him and I have made the decision for this get-together because I think it is for the best,” Deschamps told reporters. “It’s a one-off choice.”
“I am not going to set out my argument, but I can say two things. The first is that Kylian wanted to come. The second is that it is not to do with the off-field problems because the presumption of innocence exists.”
Deschamps was referring to reports of an investigation in Sweden for alleged rape for which Mbappe – who has scored 48 goals in 86 appearances for France – is taking legal action.
Mbappe, who joined Real Madrid on a free transfer last summer from Paris St-Germain, has struggled for form since moving to the Bernabeu.
He has scored eight goals in 15 appearances but only once in his past five games. Real, who won both the Champions League and La Liga last season, were beaten 4-0 by rivals Barcelona last month and trail the Catalans by nine points in the league.
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