France call up Senny Mayulu as Kylian Mbappe injury puts Italy tie in doubt

Kylian Mbappe is a major doubt for France’s Nations League meeting with Italy on Thursday after missing the final team training session with a hamstring problem.

The Real Madrid forward did not take part in Wednesday’s group session and instead received treatment, according to French media reports. The match will be played in Milan.

France coach Zinedine Zidane has strengthened his attacking options by promoting Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Senny Mayulu from the France Under-21 squad. The 20-year-old has received his first senior call-up while already being at the Clairefontaine training centre with the youth team.

The French Football Federation did not disclose details of Mbappe’s condition when confirming Mayulu’s promotion. However, his absence from training and reports that he will not face Italy have left his participation in serious doubt.

Mayulu was initially brought into the senior squad to replace Aurelien Tchouameni, who has left the camp because of injury. L’Equipe reports that his versatility could also allow him to cover for Mbappe, particularly in attacking positions.

Canal+ has gone further by reporting that Mbappe will miss the match and that Zidane brought in Mayulu to compensate for the shortage of attacking options, including in the centre-forward role.

France will assess whether Mbappe can recover in time for their next game against Turkey on Sunday.

France dealing with a growing injury list

Mbappe is not the only concern for Zidane before the two Nations League fixtures.

Marcus Thuram and Pierre Kalulu have also been ruled out after initially being included in the coach’s plans. The original squad was already missing several attacking players because of injury, including Ousmane Dembele, Maghnes Akliouche and Esteban Lepaul.

Zidane had first selected Marcus Thuram before losing him to injury. Eli Junior Kroupi was then called up as a replacement, while Mayulu has now been added following Tchouameni’s withdrawal.

The absences come as Zidane attempts to establish a settled attacking system. France are seeking to secure their place in the Nations League quarter-finals after collecting one point from their meeting with Italy, enough to guarantee progress according to the group calculations.

Mbappe and Zidane relationship under scrutiny

Mbappe’s latest fitness issue has emerged amid reports of tension between the France captain and his new manager.

L’Equipe has described their relationship as less natural than the one Mbappe had with former coach Didier Deschamps. Reports say the issue dates back to Zidane’s first camp, when he used Mbappe on the left wing and deployed Dembele as a central striker.

That decision was interpreted as a change in Mbappe’s status within the attack, especially as the Real Madrid player has recently preferred to operate as a centre-forward.

Before the current camp, Zidane had said Mbappe would be given the chance to play in his preferred position against Italy and Turkey, with Dembele unavailable because of injury. Mbappe’s possible absence now threatens to delay the first test of that attacking plan.

French reports have also referred to tension between Mbappe and some team-mates following the Ballon d’Or competition and related public comments. They claim he has felt isolated in the dressing room and has attempted to build closer ties with another group of players.

Zidane must therefore manage both a depleted squad and the situation surrounding his captain as France seek greater stability and cohesion.