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France have suffered a major blow with Kylian Mbappe only fit enough to make the bench for their second Euro 2024 group game against the Netherlands.
Mbappe sustained a broken nose late on in an opening win over Austria, and was unable to continue after receiving treatment.
The collision with Kevin Danso could have put the France captain’s participation in the rest of the tournament in doubt after being taken to hospital in Dussedorf, but a scan confirmed that he did not require surgery.
It raised the prospect of Mbappe appearing against the Netherlands while sporting a mask, with France boss Didier Deschamps suggesting yesterday that the chance of his forward featuring was “moving in the right direction”.
But a set back ahead of kick off in Leipzig has forced the soon-to-be Real Madrid forward to drop out of France’s starting line-up, where he was replaced by midfielder Aurélien Tchouameni.
Mbappe had been key to France securing a narrow opening win over Austria, delivering the ball that Maximilian Wober turned into his own net. He has scored 47 times in 80 appearances for his country, firing them to World Cup triumph in 2018.
The 25-year-old is set to move to the Spanish capital at the end of this tournament after joining the Champions League winners on a free at the end of his contract with Paris Saint-Germain. France conclude their group efforts against Poland on Tuesday, and will book their place in the last-16 with a win over Netherlands.