Kylian Mbappe is set to return to training to give France a boost ahead of their World Cup clash against England.
The Paris Saint-Germain striker was absent from Les Bleus’ plenary session on Tuesday, raising questions about his ability to play in Saturday’s quarter-final.
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He was absent from a training session on Tuesday
He was instead working in the recovery room, although there was no news from the French camp to suggest the 23-year-old was injured.
However, Didier Deschamps’ team will welcome their return just three days before their next match in Qatar.
As reported by sky sportsMbappe is expected to take part in France’s behind-closed-doors training session on Wednesday night.
He “went through a recovery routine” on Tuesday while his international teammates took part in a light training session, but he shouldn’t miss this time around.
Speaking to the media at a press conference, fellow Frenchman Ibrahima Konaté brushed aside any fears over his absence: “We haven’t really talked about it at all.
“He was just resting yesterday. He had another type of workout to do. There was nothing to worry about about it. Nothing surprising either. »
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The PSG striker, who has five goals at Qatar 2022, is likely to cause England problems on Saturday
Mbappe has been one of the best performers at the World Cup so far, with his brace against Poland seeing him lead the Golden Boot race with five goals.
Even though Olivier Giroud became France’s all-time leading goalscorer in the same game, Mbappe is on course to claim the record for himself, along with assistant coach Guy Stephan. speaking incredibly highly of the superstar.
“I don’t know how long he has [Giroud’s] the record will stand,” Stephan said.
“If we compare him to Thierry Henry, it’s the same number of caps that shows how well he is.
“Maybe Mbappe could break it. He’s a really great player like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and he’s off the planet with his skills. He is very inventive. His incredible technical ability is shown in every match, which is important.
England and France last met in a major tournament during the group stages of Euro 2012, with the two sides drawing 1-1.
There’s a lot more at stake this time around though, with the reigning World Cup champions looking to use one of their key strengths in Mbappe against Gareth Southgate’s impressive Three Lions for a place in the semi-finals.
Listen to the full England v France commentary on Saturday, live on talkSPORT, kick off at 7pm.
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