Captain Kylian Mbappe is in a race against time to return for France's final group match against Poland on Tuesday.
French striker Kylian Mbappé continues to recover from his broken nose, although he is still not sure if he will play in his team's final game in the group stage of the European Championship on Tuesday, according to coach Didier Deschamps.
Deschamps kept his cards to himself on French television show Telefoot on Sunday, refusing to say whether Mbappé would play against Poland in Dortmund, but offering reassuring news for fans about the recovery of his captain, who broke his nose last Monday in the first match. against Austria.
“You will see [whether he plays or not], but everything is going in the right direction, he is recovering from the blow, the bruises are decreasing every day and he will get used to his mask. He is doing well,” Deschamps said.
Following the 0-0 draw against the Netherlands in Leipzig on Friday, when Mbappé remained on the bench, there has been much analysis in the French media about the team's attacking prowess, or sudden lack thereof.
France's only goal in its last three football matches was an own goal by Austria's Maximilian Wober in its first Group D match in Düsseldorf.
But Deschamps did not reveal anything when asked if he could freshen up the attack, especially as France, with four points, look certain of a place in the last 16.
“I have planned a team that will ensure qualification and the best possible result in the group. We will always hope to recover a little more. [for some players]. From there you deduce what you want,” she stated.
Mbappé's teammates, at a news conference on Sunday, suggested that the 25-year-old attacker was eager to play, especially after an hour on the field on Saturday in training against a local academy team.
“When I was on the field, I was 100 percent. He’s getting used to the mask on him and he scored,” defenseman Jonathan Clauss said.
“I think he wants to play the next game. Maybe he would like to play without a mask, but the doctor will not give him a choice,” added midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni.
