France boss Didier Deschamps has reiterated his stance on Kylian Mbappe’s international future.
Deschamps confirmed his call not to include Mbappe in his squad for Les Bleus’ UEFA Nations League games this month after missing the October window due to fitness issues.
The omission created waves again as Deschamps explained after the squad was announced that after a conversation with the Real Madrid star, he decided against calling up his captain.
That has once more revived the debate over Mbappe’s long term commitment to France after assuming the captaincy in 2023.
Deschamps has also looked to reduce the excessive focus on his talisman, to allow for the focus to die down, as he returns in 2025.
Ahead of a clash with Italy tomorrow, Deschamps faced questions on his absent skipper, and he doubled down on his confidence on Mbappe.
“There’s no reason to think he will not return to his best. I want him to and I don’t see why he won’t,” as per an interview from Telefoot, via Diario AS.
“He’s going through a difficult period, but he has everything to recover his best form.
“You tell me I’m crazy for playing him at centre forward, but his last two coaches at club level played him centrally. He doesn’t have the profile of Olivier Giroud, so it depends on the team you’re playing against.”
France can secure top spot in League A Group 2 if they win away in Milan but they have already qualified for the quarter finals.
