France international PSG striker Kylian Mbappé (24) has been called up by Christophe Galtier to face Bayern Munich tonight at Parc des Princes in their Champions League last 16 first tie. The 2018 World Cup winner with Les Bleus suffered an hamstring strain sustained at Montpellier on February 1st. His absence then was estimated to three weeks, leaving him no chance to feature against the Bavarians.
However, less than two weeks after his injury, Mbappé made his full return to training yesterday and did not encounter any issue. “Kylian has trained individually on Sunday and with the squad on Monday“, revealed PSG head coach Christophe Galtier in a press conference attended by L’Equipe. “I did not think he would do it. Following discussions with our performance coach, our doctor and our sporting management, we decided that Kylian, should he felt well, would participate in training. His post-training feedback is very positive.”
Several reasons may explain how Kylian Mbappé won his race against time to feature against Bayern Munich. Primarily, the Paris-born player is blessed with exceptional recovery capacity. It is not the first time he is way ahead of schedule when on a path to fitness. “Kylian has done a tremendous job in giving himself the best possible chance of being available ,” claimed Galtier. Secondly, his hamstring injury may be less severe than previously feared. L’Équipe also recalled that Mbappé rushed his recovery five years ago in order to feature for PSG in a Champions League last 16 tie against Real Madrid. Eventually, the Frenchman failed to influence the tie in any form whatsoever. A painful experience he has not forgotten.
Although Mbappé made the squad, he might not feature in the team sheet and attend the game from the Parc des Princes’ stands. Mbappé is expected to do a final test this morning to confirm his place in the squad. “I will make the most sensible decision, concluded Galtier. “The first person I’ll listen to will be Kylian. If he is on the team sheet, he’ll play. He won’t just be on the bench for the sake of it.”
GFFN | Bastien Cheval