France head coach Didier Deschamps has confirmed that Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe will retain the captain’s arm-band after returning to the French national team setup ahead of their upcoming Nations League quarter final against Croatia.
Mbappe was left out by Deschamps during the last international breaks which saw France record victories over Israel and Belgium due to an injury concern. The following month, despite being fit for club football, Deschamps omitted him from France’s final Nations League Group A2 matches.
Deschamps described the latter exclusion as a “one-off,” and the Real Madrid forward has now returned to the squad for this month’s two-legged clash with Croatia. With 48 goals in 86 appearances for France—just nine shy of all-time top scorer Olivier Giroud—Mbappe will also captain his country in these games.
“I spoke with him, I confirm it, he will be captain. It’s not my style to go further on the content of the talks,” Deschamps said at a press conference on Thursday.
Speculation surrounds Mbappe’s fitness, as many suspect he is carrying a minor injury after playing 120 minutes in Madrid’s Champions League penalty shoot-out victory over Atletico Madrid on Wednesday. However, Deschamps believes the 26-year-old will be ready to represent France.
“I don’t have any evidence today, he played 120 minutes. Sometimes I also prefer that a player doesn’t train if it allows him to play afterwards,” Deschamps said.
“I hope that the weekend’s matches will go well for the selected players. I don’t have any evidence about him having a problem.”
France squad
Mike Maignan (AC Milan), Brice Samba (Lens), Lucas Chevalier (Lille); Lucas Digne (Aston Villa), Theo Hernandez (AC Milan), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool), William Saliba (Arsenal), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich), Jonathan Clauss (Nice), Benjamin Pavard (Inter), Jules Kounde (Barcelona); Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid), Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid), Matteo Guendouzi (Lazio), Adrien Rabiot (Marseille), Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain), Manu Kone (Roma); Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan), Bradley Barcola (Paris Saint-Germain), Desire Doue (Paris Saint-Germain) Randal Kolo Muani (Juventus), Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan), Ousmane Dembele (Paris Saint-Germain).
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