Kylian Mbappé will not play for France in Thursday's UEFA Nations League match against Italy, after head coach Zinedine Zidane opted not to risk his captain following a minor hamstring issue.
The Real Madrid forward traveled to Milan with the squad, but Zidane confirmed at a news conference that Mbappé would sit out. "Kylian will miss tomorrow's match," Zidane said. "He felt a slight pain, and as usual we do not want to risk anything. These are unfortunate matters but they are part of football."
The update comes a day after the French Football Federation had said Mbappé was not injured despite missing a training session, explaining at the time that he had stayed behind to work in the gym and rest.
Despite Zidane's comments, reports emerged on Thursday suggesting Mbappé could still be named among the substitutes and even see some second-half action against Italy. That will not be the case, according to the current reporting.
Mbappé is expected to be available for Sunday's home match against Türkiye, which will be played in Bordeaux. The forward had already missed most of the first international break of the Zidane era after picking up an injury in a previous game against Türkiye, in which he scored France's opening goal.
France can secure a spot in next March's Nations League quarterfinals with a game to spare if they beat Italy. A draw would not be enough, after Belgium defeated Türkiye earlier on Thursday.
