Why was Kylian Mbappé substituted in PSG’s game with AS Monaco?

Kylian Mbappé was replaced by Randal Kolo Muani at half-time in PSG’s Ligue 1 clash with AS Monaco on Friday night. The France captain went down under a challenge from defender Guillermo Maripán in the 27th minute of the clash against his former side but, according to journalist Fabrice Hawkins, Luis Enrique’s decision to substitute Mbappé was not injury-related.

Following his substitution, the 25-year-old forward decided to not take his place on the bench with the rest of his team-mates, and, instead, sat in the stands of the Stade Louis II.

In the club’s previous match against Rennes, Mbappé - who looks set to join Real Madrid in the summer - went off in the 65th minute of the encounter. Monaco forward Wissam Ben Yedder hit the bar with a penalty in the second half as third-place Monaco looked to open the scoring against the league leaders.

PSG’s Italian shot-stopper Gigi Donnarumma made several big saves to deny Maghnes Akliouche and Ben Yedder to keep the home side out and it finished 0-0 on the night. With Mbappé being removed in the club’s last two games, as they failed to find the back of the net, Luis Enrique could already be beginning to plan for life without the Frenchman in his forward line.