Kylian Mbappé will undergo a “last minute” evaluation that will determine his availability for France’s Euro 2024 clash with the Netherlands on Friday (3 p.m. ET on FOX).
France national team chiefs have been pleased with the superstar forward’s progress since he sustained a broken nose during the team’s opening game of the tournament on Monday.
Team captain Mbappé trained with the group for the past two days and was spotted wearing a protective mask in the red, white and blue colors of the French national flag.
That specific mask is not eligible to be used as it flouts UEFA’s “single color” restriction for such items, but head coach Didier Deschamps’ staff have a variety of alternatives for the player to choose from, some of which will be presented for approval to UEFA officials in a pre-game technical meeting.
Mbappé’s friend and colleague Antoine Griezmann was present at the press conference typically reserved for the captain the day before Friday’s match, perhaps an indicator that Mbappé will not start — but not necessarily.
“Kylian is doing very well, although his nose is a little swollen” Griezmann told reporters. “We will leave it until the last minute depending on how he feels.
“I don’t know whether he will play, but he is one of the best players in the world, whether you have him or not makes a huge difference.”
France won its first game 1-0 against Austria and is locked in a battle to top Group D with the Dutch, an opponent it managed to beat twice during the qualification process.
Mbappé’s injury in Dusseldorf was sustained when he went for a header and his face collided with the shoulder of Austria defender Kevin Danso.
UEFA Euro 2024 Day Four Recap: Mbappé injured vs. Austria
Coach Deschamps struck a positive tone on Thursday, following initial fears that Mbappé might need surgery or be absent for multiple games.
“I can confirm that Kylian Mbappé is feeling better and all is evolving well to see him available tomorrow,” Deschamps said. “It’s moving the right direction.”
Mbappé was spotted at France training repeatedly knocking on the mask with his knuckles, presumably to test what level of pain was caused by any impact.
Among the options for Deschamps if Mbappé does not start would be to use experienced Kingsley Coman or exciting youngster Bradley Barcola on the left, or to move things around to incorporate veteran forward Olivier Giroud.
Mbappé’s value to the team has been proven beyond doubt, as was highlighted most prominently by his extraordinary hattrick as France lost to Argentina in a penalty shootout in the final of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports. Follow him on Twitter @MRogersFOX and subscribe to the daily newsletter.
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