The France national team on Thursday announced its squad for the October international break, which will not include Kylian Mbappe. Despite playing in Lille, the Real Madrid striker will remain in training at Valdebebas to recover 100% from his femoral biceps injury.
Kylian Mbappe will not feature for France this international break. Didier Deschamps has left the striker out of the squad after agreeing that he should recover fully from his muscle injury. As a result, the Real Madrid player will miss the Nations League matches against Israel and Belgium on 10 and 14 October.
This decision was a foregone conclusion given the initial timetable that was set for Mbappe. The player from Bondy left the game against Alaves on 24 September with discomfort that ended up being an injury to the biceps femoris in his left leg. He was expected to be out for at least three weeks. However, after missing the derby, Carlo Ancelotti surprised everyone by including him in the squad to play against Lille in the Champions League.
Just eight days after breaking down, and not 20, Mbappe was back on the pitch. With the score against him, the Madrid coach decided to take the Frenchman off in the 57th minute of the match and he ended up playing around 40 minutes, including the added time. However, it was clear that there was no human way that he was fully recovered.
For this reason, Deschamps, Mbappe and Real Madrid have understood that the best thing to do was to minimise risks and for the player to stay at Valdebebas for the next two weeks to get back to 100%. He will be a big miss for France, although his place in the squad is taken by Christopher Nkunku.
The Chelsea striker had not played for Les Bleus since June 2023 due to injury, but has started this season with six goals in nine games and has earned a place in Didier Deschamps’ select group.
It remains to be seen how the departure of Antoine Griezmann, who announced his retirement from international football a few days ago, will affect the French. In this case, there is continuity in the list for youngsters such as Manu Kone and Bayern striker Michael Olise.
France squad
Goalkeepers: Alphonse Areola (West Ham United/ENG), Mike Maignan (AC Milan/ITA), Brice Samba (Lens)
Defenders: Jonathan Clauss (Nice), Lucas Digne (Aston Villa/ENG), Wesley Fofana (Chelsea/ENG), Theo Hernandez (AC Milan/ITA), Ibrahima Konate (Liverpool/ENG), Jules Kounde (Barcelona/ESP), William Saliba (Arsenal/ENG), Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich/GER)
Midfielders: Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid/ESP), Youssouf Fofana (AC Milan/ITA), Matteo Guendouzi (Lazio/ITA), Manu Kone (Roma/ITA), Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid/ESP), Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain)
Forwards: Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembele, Randal Kolo Muani (all Paris Saint-Germain), Christopher Nkunku (Chelsea/ENG), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich/GER), Marcus Thuram (Inter Milan/ITA)
