Didier Deschamps set to hold talks with Kylian Mbappe over giving up France captaincy: Reports
France national team manager Didier Deschamps is planing to hold talks with Kylian Mbappe regarding the national team captaincy, as per L'Equipe. The Real Madrid superstar was excluded from Les Bleus squad for the past two international breaks.
His absence during October's games was put down due to injury. Deschamps opted to keep him away from the squad this month as well, insisting that it is better for the player to focus on his form.
There's a belief that the French manager is punishing the 26-year-old for skipping the national camp in October, although this has already been denied. Kylian Mbappe has 48 goals from 86 games for his national team and has won the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Nations League.
The player has received huge criticism for his decision to skip his national team duties. The public backlash has also forced Deschamps to reconsider the player's position as national team captain.
Les Bleus manager is already contemplating handing the armband to a new face. While no candidates have been named yet, Deschamps is preparing to hold crunch talks with Mbappe regarding the matter.
If the player agrees to continue as the captain, the France manager will not pursue the matter further. However, the decision to hand Kylian Mbappe the armband in the first place has also been questioned.
Many believe that Antoine Griezmann should have been appointed as Hugo Lloris' successor instead of Mbappe in March 2023. There have been rumours that the Atletico Madrid man decided to retired from the national team because he was not considered for the role.
How has Kylian Mbappe performed for Real Madrid this season?
Kylian Mbappe has endured a tough few months since leaving Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) to join Los Blancos. The French superstar enjoyed a blockbuster start to his tenure with the LaLiga champions, scoring in the UEFA Super Cup win in August.
However, it is safe to say that the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner hasn't been in his element at the Santiago Bernabeu. The player has been forced to work as a No. 9 in Carlo Ancelotti's setup, as Vinicius Junior operates in the left-forward role.
That positional change hasn't helped Mbappe's cause either. While the player has managed eight goals and two assists from 16 games, he hasn't reached top form yet with Real Madrid. For context, the Frenchman has scored 256 goals and set up 108 more from 308 games for PSG.