Mbappé will not travel for Thursday’s match against Italy, Zidane confirmed at his press conference.
The France head coach framed the decision as a precaution.
“He’s not happy, he would have liked to play tomorrow, but we must not take any risks, because the season is long,” Zidane said.
It is the second successive international window Mbappé has left with a physical problem. In Zidane’s first match in charge of France, against Turkey in September, the captain scored before being substituted in the 58th minute with knee pain, Goal reports.
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Reports of a tactical rift
The repeated pattern lands on top of weeks of French and Spanish media reports about a cool relationship between Zidane and his captain.
L’Équipe has described the dynamic as “not entirely harmonious”, a shift from the bond Mbappé had with the previous head coach, as relayed by Yardbarker.
At the heart of the reporting is a positional change. Zidane has moved Mbappé to the left wing and handed Ousmane Dembélé the centre-forward role, the position Mbappé prefers. According to L’Équipe’s reading, relayed by Goal, the switch reads as “a demotion for one player and a promotion for another.”
The same reporting describes Mbappé as feeling isolated in the dressing room, with a Ballon d’Or rivalry with Dembélé spilling into public comments from both sides.
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Zidane defends the injured players
At the same press conference, Zidane also defended Marcus Thuram and Aurélien Tchouaméni, who turned up with issues and were sent back to their clubs.
“I understand their choice to come to the international camp with a problem. They wanted to be here, and I think that’s admirable,” he said, according to Footeo.
France play Italy on Thursday and then face Turkey on Sunday, a match Zidane has said he hopes will mark Mbappé’s return.
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