Deschamps: Mbappe will be fine for Germany clash
Kylian Mbappe came off the bench and rescued France on Thursday, having complained of a thigh issue in the build-up.
Published : Oct 12, 2018 10:23 IST
France head coach Didier Deschamps said that Kylian Mbappe will be okay for Tuesday's showdown with Germany after a thigh complaint forced him to start on the bench in the dramatic late draw against Iceland.
Mbappe came off the bench and inspired France's late comeback in Guingamp, where the world champion overturned a 2-0 deficit to rescue a 2-2 draw on Thursday.
The 19-year-old Paris Saint-Germain sensation forced a Holmar Eyjolfsson own goal in the 86th minute before converting a penalty four minutes later.
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Asked why Mbappe did not start the friendly match, Deschamps said: "On Wednesday, he felt muscle discomfort in his thigh. He did not have a good feeling."
"I did not want to take any risk and neither did he. After the warm-up, it was much better, he was more liberated. This half hour will be beneficial for the match on Tuesday."
"He creates gaps and danger for the opponent. These are his specific characteristics. He brought speed and precision. It made us feel good," Deschamps added as he praised the in-form Mbappe, who scored four goals in 13 minutes for PSG last week.
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France was below its best against the visitor – which led 2-0 before the hour-mark – but Deschamps refused to be too critical of his side.
"I'm not here to blacken everything even if I cannot be satisfied with what we did for an hour. I'm not going to tell you that we like this type of match, but it will serve as a lesson," Deschamps said.
"We cannot always be at the top level. There may be a small voltage drop. I also knew that as a player a long time ago."