Kylian Mbappé confirms continued fitness issues | OneFootball

When Kylian Mbappé (25) broke his nose in France’s Euro 2024 opener against Austria, his fitness issues in the lead-up to the competition were quickly forgotten, however, Les Bleus’ captain has confirmed that he is still short of his best form.

In France’s final warm-up game for Euro 2024, against Canada, Mbappé was left on the bench. When the squad arrived in Germany, he then missed a training session as he contended with what was reported as a knee problem. On the eve of the match against Austria in Düsseldorf, he then gave a cryptic answer when questioned about his fitness levels, which suggested that not all was well.

“My physical [preparedness] isn’t the most important thing, the more important thing is to be mentally ready,” began Mbappé in a press conference, attended by Get French Football News. “I am ready to win, to do everything to win. I prefer to have the mentality, more than the legs. It’s better if you have both. I hope to have both. I have the mentality, and we’ll see if I have the legs tomorrow. The most important thing is to be connected and invested.”

Mbappé, masked since breaking his nose in a collision with Kevin Danso, has confirmed that he still isn’t 100%. “No, I don’t think I do have my legs fully. I think I need a good pre-season […] to be at 100% and nice and quick, I need good physical preparation and I am sure that’ll be better after a pre-season with my new club (Real Madrid). But before that, I really want to take my chance and get to the semi-finals,” said Mbappé, ahead of France’s game against Portugal on Friday.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle