Kylian Mbappé will not be available for France’s Nations League match against Italy. A hamstring injury forced the forward to sit out Thursday’s game, giving Zinedine Zidane the opportunity to call up Senny Mayulu for the first time.
The French captain did not participate in Wednesday’s training session, and the head coach later confirmed that he would not take any risks with his star player. Zidane explained that Mbappé is dealing with a minor issue and is confident he’ll be fit by Sunday, when France hosts Turkey in Bordeaux.
The striker’s absence was also a topic of conversation at the press conference held by Italian coach Roberto Mancini, who joked about how convenient it was that Mbappé wasn’t playing, especially with Real Madrid’s upcoming Champions League matches on the horizon.
Joking aside, Mancini acknowledged France’s offensive depth and highlighted the quality of the forwards on the French national team.
The biggest surprise on the French roster is Senny Mayulu, a 20-year-old forward who plays for two-time European champion Paris Saint-Germain. The forward was training with the U-21 national team in Clairefontaine before receiving the call-up to join the senior squad and travel to Milan.
Mayulu won’t be the only debutant on this roster. Also included is Eli Junior Kroupi, a 20-year-old forward who plays for Bournemouth in the English Premier League and was called up after Marcus Thuram was ruled out.
The Inter Milan forward was ruled out due to a hamstring injury—the same muscle group that is keeping Mbappé out of the match.
France enters the match as the group leader and has the chance to secure its spot in the Nations League quarterfinals, scheduled for March, if it defeats Italy at San Siro.
The last matchup between the two teams ended in a 1-1 draw at the Stade de France last month. On that occasion, Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma’s performance was crucial in keeping his team in the game.
Mbappé was also unable to play in that match, though his absence at the time was due to a knee injury. Now, France will once again have to face Italy without its captain, while Zidane is counting on two young forwards who will have the opportunity to make their senior national team debuts.