Following the announcement of coach Didier Deschamps’ roster on Thursday, Kylian Mbappe of France has been left out of his team’s UEFA Nations League matches this month.
The Real Madrid player was substituted in for the unexpected 1-0 Champions League loss at Lille on Wednesday after a brief absence due to a thigh injury.
The decision to exclude the 25-year-old from France’s matches against Israel and Belgium was made ostensibly to give Mbappe time to recover and regain his fitness.
“I had an exchange with Kylian. He has a problem which is not serious. I am not going to take risks, which is why he is not in the squad,” Deschamps told reporters in Paris.
France play Israel on Thursday, October 10 in an away fixture moved to Budapest due to the security situation in the Middle East.
Les Bleus, Nations League winners in 2021, will then take on Belgium in Brussels on Monday, October 14.
France have three points after their first two outings in Group A2, which is topped by Italy with six points.
Thursday’s squad announcement was the first by Deschamps since vice-captain Antoine Griezmann retired from international football at the beginning of this week.
“He had such an impact that we can’t play in the same way,” Deschamps said of losing Griezmann, who quit aged 33 after winning 137 caps.
“I am not necessarily going to change the system, but I am not going to look for an equivalent player.”
