Kylian Mbappe battling ‘physical and psychological’ struggles amid Real Madrid slump and France dispute

The World Cup-winning forward appeared to be in a good place over the summer as he completed an eagerly-anticipated move to Santiago Bernabeu and became the latest ‘Galactico’ addition for La Liga heavyweights. Fast forward a few months and Mbappe’s mood has soured.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Things have not played out as planned in Spain, with the 25-year-old registering just one goal through his last seven appearances for Real. Mbappe has not found the target at international level since June and was left out of Deschamps’ last two squads.

  WHAT DESCHAMPS SAID

  France’s head coach told TF1 in the wake of a 0-0 draw with Israel as to why Mbappe remains absent from his plans: “It’s a fact that he is in a difficult situation. Obviously, he is going through a period which is not the happiest of his career.”

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  Deschamps added on his talismanic forward sitting out Nations League action: “He wanted to come. I think it’s better for him [not to be selected] at the moment. Everybody can go through a difficult period. There is a physical element, and a psychological one.”

  WHAT NEXT?

  Mbappe has hit 48 goals for France through 86 appearances and is expected to become his country’s all-time leading scorer at some stage. For now, he is focused on finding a spark for Real, with the Blancos set to be back in domestic action when travelling to Leganes on November 24.