Why is Kylian Mbappé not playing for France against Israel?

Kylian Mbappé is not part of France’s squad for their upcoming Nations League fixtures against Israel and Belgium due to injury and as such he will play no part in the games for Deschamps’ side.

His Real Madrid teammate Aurélien Tchouaméni will take on the armband for Les Bleus as Kylian stays at home to recover from a thigh injury that he suffered in Madrid’s 3-2 LaLiga win over Alavés on Sept. 24.

The player missed out on the subsequent 1-1 draw against city rivals Atlético Madrid and played only a small role in their 1-0 defeat to French side Lille in the Champions League.

At the time of the injury, Los Blancos boss Carlo Ancelotti was typically calm, saying “He had a strain. Now with new technology they talk about grade one, grade two... In just under a week, he’s recovered well.”

Deschamps explains Mbappé's absence

However, despite his fitness concerns, people in France have been quick to point out that he did play in Madrid’s most recent game, against Villarreal. The reaction has been furious, and fans are not best please that the captain of the national side is not part of the squad. Deschamps, when announcing his squad, said that “I spoke with Kylian about the situation, which is still uncertain after coming on as a substitute on Wednesday. He has a match on Saturday and there are questions. He has a problem which is not serious but he needs treatment to recover properly. I am not here to take risks. That is why Kylian is not here.”

When asked later about his fitness and absence once again, Deschamps replied that “Kylian draws a lot of attention. Club and national team interests don’t always align, and it’s important to remember that it’s the club, not the federation, that employs him”, hinting at the possibility that it was a Real Madrid decision for him to stay put and not one from the national team.

Despite what some are calling a rocky start for Real Madrid this season, they remain unbeaten domestically and Mbappé has scored 7 goals. While things may not be clicking in terms of having an innate, fluid connection with his teammates in attack, something which has led to a majority of Madrid’s goals being scored in the second half of games, the talent is clear to see and game by game Mbappé has looked fitter and more ready to take on LaLiga defenders. The injury, it can certainly be argued, came right at the time that Mbappé was looking his sharpest this season.

France play Israel in Budapest on October 11 before they go to Brussels for the game against Belgium on October 14.