Kylian Mbappe, the World Cup winner with France in 2018, had suffered a horrific injury during PSG’s French Cup final against Saint-Etienne last week.
Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Kylian Mbappe walks with crutches after an injury during the French Cup final football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and Saint-Etienne (ASSE) on July 24, 2020, at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, outside Paris. (Photo by GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT / AFP)
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) manager Thomas Tuchel has expressed his hope of having Kylian Mbappe available during their Champions League tie against Atlanta. But Tuchel admitted that the chances of Mbappe playing are slim and that it would be a “miracle” if he does. .
PSG, who are preparing for their Coupe de la Ligue final against Lyon on Sunday, will miss the service of their star striker as he has been sidelined due to injury for three weeks.
“This will have an important influence for us, but I hope that the solution will be found,” Tuchel told reporters ahead of Friday’s Coupe de la Ligue final against Lyon as quoted by Goal.com.
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“We still hope [he can play against Atalanta], but the chances will be very, very small. Every day counts to achieve a miracle, but tomorrow we will have to adapt without Kylian,” he added.
Mbappe, the World Cup winner with France in 2018, had suffered a horrific injury during their French Cup final against Saint-Etienne at the Stade de France last week.
The 21-year-old France international had limped off the ground after Loic Perrin’s strong tackle had left him suffering in pain. Perrin was immediately sent off but his tackle led to a huge spat between the players of both the teams.
“He was very strong in the first friendlies, he is always very strong with Neymar, Kylian and Angel Di Maria. He likes to play with all three,” Tuchel said.
“He matches the characteristics of the team. It is not necessary for him not to touch the ball too many times. He can wait. He has a lot of patience. It’s up to everyone to improve, not just him. He will improve and he can play better. He works a lot defensively, he is disciplined, he is important for us.
“If we don’t play enough for him, we can tell that he is not in good shape but it is not like that. He remains the same player as when he arrived. He always wants to score and it is also our goal to give him good balls to score. He remains important for us,” the PSG boss added.
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