Kylian Mbappe’s broken nose was one of Euro 2024’s big early talking points as the pre-tournament favourites feared their talismanic forward could miss the rest of the tournament.
The France skipper crashed his nose into the shoulder of Austria centre-back Kevin Danso during the closing stages of France’s 1-0 victory on Monday evening and was forced off with blood streaming.
France boss Didier Deschamps said the injury was ‘not good at all’ following the match as the player needed to have his nose reset in the dressing room, but fears his tournament could be over have been allayed after the forward and medical team decided that surgery he needs will be delayed until after the tournament.
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“The medical staff did everything necessary,” said Deschamps. “He will have to do it [surgery] after the tournament.”
Mbappe, has agreed to miss Friday’s Group D match against the Netherlands, although he will travel with the squad to Leipzig.
The new Real Madrid man is now back with the French squad and underwent light individual training on Wednesday, with his nose bandaged with medical strips.
A personal protective mask has also been fitted and the forward wore it for the first time in training on Thursday, with it featuring a blue, white and red design, with the French crest in the middle and his KM initials on one side.
Kylian Mbappe's mask has been revealed 🎭🇫🇷(📷 @equipedefrance) pic.twitter.com/gnGyYfW4zbJune 20, 2024
Should France beat the Netherlands and book their last-16 place, it would likely see them seal top spot in the group, making their final match against Poland a dead rubber, giving Mbappe further time to recover for the knockout stages.
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