Kylian Mbappe may not feature in this weekend’s Clasico, a doubt that is causing all sorts of drama for Real Madrid.
Mbappe is already in hot water for taking a holiday with his girlfriend while dealing with a muscle strain.
An update on his fitness at the time from Los Blancos read: “Following tests carried out today on our player Kylian Mbappé by the Real Madrid Medical Services, he has been diagnosed with an injury to the semitendinosus muscle of his left leg.
“His recovery will be monitored. This diagnosis suggested that the player would miss the match against RCD Espanyol, but would be fully fit for El Clásico against FC Barcelona.”
Mbappe has since returned to Madrid’s Valdebebas training ground, at latest reports suggest he may not feature, a decision some are interpreting him putting his fitness for France ahead of Real.
Mbappe injury update
Journalist Javier Herráez explained: “If he doesn’t train with the rest of the team, it’s not just that he won’t start, it’s that he might not even travel.
“We’ll see if he can get out on the pitch for a while , but if he doesn’t, he might not even make the trip.”
Responding to the update, pundit Antonio Romero gave his interpretation.
“I think Mbappé has been managing his physical condition for some time to arrive at the final stage of the World Cup in top form,” he said.
“We must also remember that he had bad luck in the final stage of the European Championship; he broke his nose and received criticism in his country because he couldn’t be the leader people expected.
“So, I think he doesn’t want that to happen again. In the end, muscle strain is an injury that depends on the player.”
More critically, he added: “I can’t wrap my head around the idea of a player like Kylian Mbappé missing a Clásico at such a crucial stage of the season, especially if, for example, the league title was on the line.
“Because muscle strain isn’t an injury that should make you miss an important match.”
Julio Pulido commented: “Now his image is also somewhat at stake.
“I know the World Cup is definitely on the line, but if he’s left out of Sunday’s match, we’ll have to worry about how that looks to the fans.”
But Romero came back, finishing: “I think he has shown that his image, in terms of what the Real Madrid fans might think, matters very little to him.”
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