Kylian Mbappe has been pictured in training wearing bandages on his nose after his gruesome injury during France’s Euro 2024 opener against Austria.
The superstar was forced off after breaking his nose during a collision with Kevin Danso on Monday night.
France won 1-0 thanks to a Maximilian Wober own goal but the blow sparked fears about how much Mbappe could participate in the rest of the Euros.
Former France team doctor Fabrice Bryand told L’Equipe that Mbappe would be sidelined for 10 days at a minimum – ruling him out of the rest of the group stages.
France later revealed that Mbappe did not require surgery as first thought and would have a mask made for him to ensure he could play.
Kylian Mbappe has been pictured in training wearing bandages on his nose after his injury
The forward was still in good spirits despite the gruesome blow he suffered two days ago
Mbappe was forced off against Austria when he broke his nose in a collision with Kevin Danso
Mbappe was pictured feeling his nose during the training session but still took part and could be seen striking a shot at goal.
Elsewhere he was in good spirits, clasping his hands and cackling at something amusing.
In another photograph Mbappe was snapped deep in conversation with manager Didier Deschamps and another member of staff.
Deschamps had initially seemed exasperated about his star’s prospects, saying his player was ‘not doing well.’
He said: ‘I don’t have the elements in my hands. He didn’t get off lightly. It is still to be seen. I cannot at this stage give the answer. He’s not doing well. He’s with the medical staff. His nose got badly hit that’s for sure. We need to check, but it seems quite complicated, which is really unfortunate for us tonight.’
Mbappe was taken in an ambulance after the game to a hospital thought to be the University Hospital of Düsseldorf but did not need surgery.
The 25-year-old was in a jokey mood about his condition, tweeting: ‘Any ideas for masks?’ in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
He has a history with masks. After he arrived at PSG in 2017, his new colleagues joked that he bared a striking resemblance to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle character Donatello.
This is the collision which forced Mbappe to come off with a broken nose on Monday
The 25-year-old was deep in conversation with manager Didier Deschamps and another coach
He still participated in the training session and was photographed striking a shot on goal
Mbappe felt his nose and bandages and there are doubts about when he will return
He joked with Eduardo Camavinga ahead of their games against the Netherlands and Poland
The joke went viral and they followed it up by gifting him a luxury Dior box… with a Donatello mask inside.
France’s next two fixtures are against the Netherlands and Poland, both of which will be stern tests of their credentials.
If England finish top of Group C, it is expected that they will meet France at the semi-final stage if the tournament map plays out as people would predict on paper.