Kylian Mbappé wasn’t been named in France’s starting lineup for Sunday’s Road to 26 pre-World Cup friendly against Colombia in Maryland. However, the Real Madrid superstar was among the substitutes and made an appearance off the bench for the last 15 minutes of the game.

Why didn’t Mbappé start against Colombia?

Much of the noise surrounding the France squad during this FIFA window centered on Mbappé’s ongoing fitness issues. The Real Madrid striker has been dealing with a knee injury that has reportedly caused discomfort since the end of last year and forced him to miss a handful of games for the LaLiga giants.

However, Mbappé came off the bench in Madrid’s last two games before the international break, against Manchester City and Atlético Madrid, and played 66 minutes before being replaced in Thursday’s matchup against Brazil in Foxborough.

Deschamps rotates stacked attack

With France coach Didier Deschamps naming nine forwards in his squad to face Colombia, he opted to rotate and ensure Mbappé was not overworked after his recent return from injury.

PSG’s Désiré Doué, Inter’s Marcus Thuram and Manchester City’s Rayan Cherki formed France’s attacking trio in Landover, with Mbappé replacing Thuram after 78 minutes in Les Bleus’ 3-1 win.

France record on hold for Mbappé

After scoring his 56th international goal against Brazil on Thursday, the Madrid star needs just one more to tie Olivier Giroud’s all-time France scoring record, and two to break it.

However, Mbappé failed to find the net in his cameo appearance Maryland. His next opportunity will come in France’s next game, a home friendly against the Ivory Coast on June 4.

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