France manager Didier Deschamps has left captain Kylian Mbappe out of the squad for this month’s Nations League matches, describing the move as a “one-off” decision. The Real Madrid forward will miss upcoming games against Israel and Italy.
Mbappe, 25, was previously excluded from the October squad due to a recent injury, though he was expected to return for selection this month. Explaining the decision, Deschamps said, “I’ve had discussions with him; it is a decision I took just for this set of matches. Kylian wanted to come.”
Since joining Real Madrid on a free transfer from Paris St-Germain last summer, Mbappe has faced a challenging period. Despite scoring eight goals in 15 appearances, his recent form has dipped, with only one goal in his past five games. Real Madrid, who secured both the Champions League and La Liga titles last season, recently suffered a heavy 4-0 loss to rivals Barcelona and currently trail them by nine points in the league standings.
Mbappe, a key player for France and a World Cup winner in 2018, has an impressive record of 48 goals in 86 appearances for his country.
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