France superstar Kylian Mbappe appears closer to making a return at the Euro24 Championship.
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The Real Madrid-bound striker sustained a broken nose in France's opening 1-0 win over Austria and did not come off the bench for the 0-0 draw with the Netherlands on Friday.
France coach Didier Deschamps refused to give much away when pressed if Mbappe was available for the Group D closer against Poland on Tuesday, when he would have to wear a protective mask.
"He's getting better every day. Yesterday, he was in our training session, the bruise has actually gone down and he's getting used to playing in a mask," Deschamps said on Monday.
He added: "He wants to play, he's raring to go. He wanted to play against the Netherlands and wants to play tomorrow against Poland."
Without referring to anyone specifically, Deschamps said he had not yet "got the go-ahead from the medical team" when it came to selecting his starting line-up.
"I need to chat with different players, let's say," Deschamps said, smiling again.
A bigger clue was perhaps given by one of Mbappe's team-mates.
"We all know what Kylian's qualities are," midfielder N'Golo Kante said.
"The reasons we weren't able to hit the back of the net maybe was a lack of efficiency and maybe the fact that Kylian will be here tomorrow will help us score goals and win the game.
"It is a huge advantage to have him on the team."
Mbappe wore a mask on Saturday when he played in a behind-closed-doors match against a local team from Paderborn, the German city where the France squad is based. He has also worn the mask each day in training.
Deschamps said the mask is limiting Mbappe's vision but wouldn't describe it as a "constraint."
"Breathing, no; the way he sees, yes," Deschamps said.
"Yes, it's maybe hindering (him) but it's something he will get used to."
France will guarantee advancing to the knockout stage with a point against Poland at Dortmund's Westfalenstadion.
Australian Associated Press
