Kylian Mbappe appeared for the first time since leaving the field in the match against Austria with a broken nose. Without surgery, in a quite comfortable mood, the French star returned to light training on Wednesday.
Kylian Mbappe appeared late on Wednesday afternoon at the Home Deluxe Arena in Paderborn, when his teammates had been training for 30 minutes. Initially, the star who had just moved to Real ran alone with the ball. Afterwards, he had a short discussion with coach Didier Deschamps before participating in a shooting practice session with his teammates. At other times, Mbappe looked happy and laughing, largely undisturbed with his carefully bandaged nose.
In the opening match against Austria, Mbappe had to leave the field at the last minute because of a broken nose after a strong collision with Kevin Danso. Former French team doctor Fabrice Bryand predicts that the injury will keep the 25-year-old out for at least 10 days, meaning he will not be able to participate in the remaining two group stage matches.
However, the final conclusion confirmed that Mbappe did not need surgery. He can still go on the field with a protective mask. During the press conference the day before the match against the Netherlands, midfielder Adrien Rabiot revealed “Mbappe will return soon because a broken nose is not a disaster.” He also hopes his teammate can recover quickly because “playing without Mbappe will be very difficult.”
Defender William Saliba also brought good news, announcing that the Les Bleus hopeful “felt better” when the two met on Wednesday morning. Mbappe himself is also very optimistic about his condition. Not long after breaking his nose, he joked on Twitter, “anyone have any ideas for a mask?”.
Immediately many opinions were given, including the suggestion that Mbappe should wear the mask of the character Donatello in the Ninja Turtles movie series. This started in 2017, when Mbappe arrived at PSG and many teammates said he looked like Donatello. They even gave him a luxurious Dior box with a Donatello mask inside.
Currently, Coach Deschamps has not confirmed whether Mbappe can play in the match against the Netherlands or not. In case the 25-year-old star is absent, Olivier Giroud and Randal Kolo Muani are alternative options.