Kylian Mbappé has been left out of Didier Deschamps’ France squad for the upcoming Nations League fixtures against Israel and Belgium to aid his recovery from a thigh injury.
Mbappé suffered the knock in Real Madrid’s 3-2 LaLiga win over Alavés on Sept. 24 and was initially expected to miss three weeks, though he was fit enough to come off the bench in his club’s shock 1-0 defeat away at Lille in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Despite that ahead-of-schedule return, Deschamps has chosen to leave his captain out to allow him to maximise recovery time while staying in Madrid.
“I spoke with Kylian about the situation, which is still uncertain after coming on as a substitute on Wednesday. He has a match on Saturday and there are questions,” Deschamps said in a news conference after the squad announcement.
“He has a problem which is not serious but he needs treatment to recover properly. I am not here to take risks. That is why Kylian is not here.”
Deschamps also raised concerns over Mbappé’s frame of mind during the last international break in September, where France were beaten by Italy before winning against Belgium.
“I have no doubt about Kylian’s commitment but he was not in the best condition during the last gathering,” the head coach said.
Naming his first roster since Antoine Griezmann’s surprise decision to retire from international duty with 137 caps, Deschamps has selected Christopher Nkunku, Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola to help fill the gap left by the absences of the Mbappé and the Atlético Madrid veteran.
The last time a France squad didn’t feature either Mbappé or Griezmann was in November 2013, as Les Bleus beat Ukraine 3-0 to qualify for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Mbappé was 14 at the time.
“It is strange not to see him,” Deschamps said of Griezmann. “I can only thank him for everything he has done and brought to the French team.
“He’s not ending his career either. He’s a very good example to follow for young people. It wasn’t easy for him in his career, including with France. He was always generous. He was a leader on the field, in his own way, and he was versatile.”
France play Israel in Budapest on Oct. 11 before travelling to Brussels for the game against Belgium on Oct. 14.