Despite being fully fit, Kylian Mbappé was not called up by Didier Deschamps to represent France against Israel and Italy in the November international break.
The Real Madrid forward was left out of France’s squad in October for two Nations League matches as a precaution given he had just returned from injury and had been expected to return for selection this month.
I’ve had discussions with him,” Deschamps said in a press conference on Nov. 7. “It is a decision that I took for this block of matches only. Kylian wanted to come. It’s not because of any other problem.”
The omission comes amid Mbappé’s poor run of form at Real Madrid. The forward, who joined Real Madrid on a free transfer last summer from Paris St-Germain, has struggled for form since moving to the Bernabeu. Although leading the team with six La Liga goals, his performances have fallen short in recent weeks. Mbappe has scored eight goals in 15 appearances for the La Liga club but has only netted once in his past five games.
Although Deschamps confirmed this is just a “one-off” decision, it is still a bold statement to make regarding France’s No. 10 and one of its best players.
Mbappe, a World Cup winner in 2018, has scored 48 goals in 86 appearances for France.
France are on course to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Nations League next year with one point behind leaders Italy in the group and five points clear of Belgium in third place with two matches remaining.
