Kylian Mbappé and Zinedine Zidane simply cannot catch a break right now

Real Madrid superstar Kylian Mbappé did not feature in France's loss against Italy on Thursday night due to an injury he picked up during training leading up to the game. Zinedine Zidane confirmed a day before the game that Mbappé will not be playing, and it was clear to everyone that it was because of an injury.

Real Madrid fans would hope that the injury is not very serious and that the player can return to normal game time once he comes back from the international break. This entire situation is very difficult for Zidane as well as Mbappé. This is Zidane's first job in five years. Due to the break he took after coaching Real Madrid, not having his best player on the team during his first few games is really difficult for not just him, but any manager.

It is not like they will not win without him - even though they didn't actually on Thursday night - because the squad is full of incredible talents. It is clear, though, that having the captain and the best player of the team definitely helps with squad harmony and gives Zidane a chance to see how the entire team plays together.

France's team is ridiculous, and there is no question that even without Mbappé, they have an abundance of talents like Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembélé who can lead their attack with no issues at all.

The problem is not being able to win or lose games at the moment, because that can happen with or without Mbappé. For any manager, it is essential that all his starters are available so that he's able to see what works and what doesn't.

In his first press conference, he talked about looking at Mbappé as a left winger. He would not know whether the Frenchman would work as a left winger until he actually sees him play in that position for a couple of games. Obviously, there are other options on that wing, but the point still stands, and it is just really frustrating for both Zidane and their superstar captain.

It is especially difficult because even in the first extended international break, Mbappé was only able to play just more than one half of a game before getting injured. To have the same thing happen once again is truly frustrating for both the player and the manager. It remains to be seen what happens with Mbappé and how long he's out for, but if I were Zidane or Mbappé, I would be very frustrated with the situation.