Kylian Mbappé misses training as tension grows in France squad
Mbappé skipped Monday’s Clairefontaine session and his status for the November 12, 2026 Nations League game against Italy remains unclear.
Kylian Mbappé missed France's training session at Clairefontaine on November 11, 2026, putting his participation in the UEFA Nations League match against Italy on November 12, 2026, in doubt. The French Football Federation has not issued an official explanation for his absence, and the squad, led by Zinedine Zidane, travelled to northern Italy later that same day.
French media have reported growing tensions around the 27‑year‑old forward and say he appears increasingly isolated within the national group. Disagreements with Ousmane Dembélé are said to be ongoing.
Contact, reaction and the squad list
According to those reports, Mbappé sent a message to a teammate via WhatsApp in an attempt to ease the situation, but Dembélé did not reply. Some players and members of the coaching staff view Mbappé's sudden outreach as opportunistic, rather than conciliatory. The feeling of isolation is said to have been amplified by the omission of Marcus Thuram from the call-up list.
Zidane had planned to deploy Mbappé as a central striker rather than on the left wing. The first experiment in that role, in September, lasted under an hour: Mbappé suffered a knee injury during the match against Turkey and left the national camp early.
Italian coverage has similarly suggested that relations between Mbappé and Zidane are strained. With the match versus Italy approaching on November 12, the squad faces uncertainty over the availability of its leading forward.
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