France Euro 2024 squad remains upbeat as Mbappé recovers from broken nose

Teammates of injured France skipper Kylian Mbappé on Wednesday sniffed at suggestions the squad would crack up in the absence of their star striker who broke his nose during their opening game at Euro 2024.

"Looking at who we have on the bench, I think we have what it takes up front to replace Kylian," said Adrien Rabiot who starred in the France midfield with N'Golo Kanté during the 1-0 win over Austria in Dusseldorf on Monday night.

"If he’s not there, it’s going to be a bit more tough," Rabiot conceded. "But I trust all the great players we have on the team.”

Veteran target man Olivier Giroud – France's all-time top scorer – and Randal Kolo Muani are the options to come in for Mbappé who is expected to miss Friday night's Group D encounter with the Netherlands.

The 25-year-old, who is due to start his career at Real Madrid in August, could also sit out France's last tie in the pool against Poland on 25 June in Dortmund.

Mbappé was playing his 80th game for his country when he collided with the shoulder of the Austria defender Kevin Danso as they both challenged for a ball in the air in the Austria penalty area

Pain

He was left sprawling on the turf at the Düsseldorf Arena as the action swiftly moved away from the Austria box. However, Mbappé remained grounded prompting the Austria goalkeeper Patrick Pentz to summon urgent medical care.

As Deschamps reconfigures his attack, he has few problems at the other end of the team.

Read more on RFI English

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