LEIPZIG: France coach Didier Deschamps is optimistic about Kylian Mbappe's chances of playing against the Netherlands on Friday despite the star forward's broken nose.
“Everything is going well, after the shock we had. He was able to take part in some light exercises yesterday and that will be the same this evening. Everything is evolving in the right direction,” Deschamps said Thursday. “We’ll do all we can to ensure that he’ll be available tomorrow.”
Mbappe broke his nose in France’s opening 1-0 win over Austria on Monday when his face collided with Austria defender Kevin Danso’s shoulder. Blood stained his white France jersey. If he plays, he’ll need to wear a mask.
“Kylian will be wearing a mask,” Deschamps confirmed to journalists. “We don’t need to know the details of this mask. I think you have enough moles to know where the mask is coming from.”
Mbappe returned to light training on Wednesday and was expected to continue preparations on Thursday.