Full on in training

Mbappe laughs, shoots and throws away his mask

Kylian Mbappe showed many faces during training.

(Bild: AP/AP, AFP)

He shoots, he laughs (with and without his mask), he complains, he even throws away his mask - the French national team's Sunday training session in Paderborn produced many revealing pictures of superstar Kylian Mbappe.

The snapshots from the international photo agencies certainly suggest one thing: Mbappe is fully fit again. Recently on the bench against Holland, it now looks as if he could return for the final group game against Poland - provided he is not consciously played after the broken nose he suffered in the Austria game. In any case, he was full of enthusiasm on Sunday. He had fun. But not only, according to the photos. He also complained, finished spectacularly and even threw away his mask in between.

The best pictures:

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Fotos

"You'll see"
France coach Didier Deschamps is still cagey about whether Mbappe will play against Poland. "You'll see in due course," the 55-year-old told radio station RMC Sport on Téléfoot 1 on Sunday. The swelling is getting smaller every day, Deschamps emphasized: "Everything is going in the right direction."

However, the coach of the Équipe tricolore had also made similar comments before the 0-0 draw against the Netherlands in Leipzig last Friday, after Mbappé had suffered the facial injury in the 1-0 defeat against Austria the previous Monday. He did not play against the Netherlands. It is therefore still unclear whether Mbappé will play in the final group game.

"Doctor won't give him a chance"
The 25-year-old captain certainly played again in a training match on Saturday between the reserves and SC Paderborn's U21s. He will also continue to get used to the mask, which changes his field of vision somewhat, explained Deschamps. "He would prefer to play without it, but the doctor won't give him a chance, said teammate Aurelien Tchouameni at a French press conference at their European Championship quarters in East Westphalia on Sunday. "If he's on the pitch, he'll bring us a lot."

With four points, the French are in second place in Group D ahead of this Tuesday's match (18:00, live in the krone.at ticker). The Dutch are level on points in first place, while their upcoming opponents Austria are third with three points. The Poles have already been eliminated after two defeats. The French, however, are still waiting for their first goal at this European Championship; their victory against Austria came courtesy of an own goal.