Kylian Mbappe misses France training with flu-like illness ahead of Zinedine Zidane debut

Kylian Mbappe missed France training on Tuesday after falling ill at the start of Zinedine Zidane’s first camp as head coach.

The France captain was absent from the squad’s second training session under Zidane, with the team preparing at their Clairefontaine base for Friday’s match against Turkey.

L’Equipe reported that the Real Madrid forward is suffering from a “flu-like syndrome”, forcing him to sit out the session while the other 22 players called up by Zidane trained as normal.

Mbappe, who is 27, remained inside the team’s accommodation at Clairefontaine while his team-mates went on to the pitch. Reports said he stayed in bed as the rest of the squad posed for photographs with supporters attending the open training session.

France have not yet confirmed how long Mbappe is expected to be unavailable. His condition will be monitored ahead of the meeting with Turkey, which will be Zidane’s first game in charge of the national team.

There were no other absences from the France squad. The remaining 22 players attended the open session and took part in photographs before training began.

Zidane’s coaching staff arrived on the pitch several minutes before the players, including assistant manager David Bettoni and Fabien Barthez.

The former France captain waited until the players had begun their warm-up and the supporters had moved into the stands at Stade Pibarot before joining the group. His late arrival appeared intended to ensure the focus remained on the players during the open session.

The Turkey fixture begins a demanding first international gathering for Zidane, with France scheduled to play four matches in the Nations League.

After Friday’s game, France will travel to face Belgium on 28 September. They will then host Italy and Belgium on 2 and 5 October respectively, with both matches scheduled to take place at Stade de France.

The extent of Mbappe’s illness and whether it will affect his availability for those fixtures remains unclear. His absence from Tuesday’s training was the only setback reported by France as the squad continued preparations for Zidane’s first match as manager.