Kylian Mbappe surprised everybody who is paying attention when he came off the bench to feature in midweek. The result of the match, a UCL group stage loss to Lille, was surprising as well.
But Mbappe, it was widely believed, was set to be sidelined for at least a couple weeks, due to the thigh injury that he is nursing.
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And although he was left out of the France squad that will compete in the upcoming international period, he is still expected to be in the first team versus Villarreal this weekend.
As for the overall, general prognosis, France national team coach Didier Deschamps discussed the following with the Paris media.
“I had an exchange with Kylian,” he said.
“He has a problem which is not serious. I am not going to take risks, which is why he is not in the squad.”
Elsewhere Eder Militao is now a doubt for this match, having a thigh problem, which forced him off against Lille. Thibaut Courtois won’t partake either, as he’s still battling a hip problem.
Finally, David Alaba, Dani Ceballos and Brahmin Diaz all remain sidelined as longer-term injury absentees.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.