Mbappé out of the Italy clash: Zidane officially calls up his replacement

Zinedine Zidane, the France manager, has suffered a heavy blow ahead of the much-anticipated clash against Italy, after Kylian Mbappe's absence from tomorrow's match on Thursday in the UEFA Nations League became almost certain, owing to his suffering from pain in the hamstring muscles, in a development that adds to France's troubles before an important test in their run in the competition.

The latest developments have reinforced the likelihood of the France captain's absence, after the technical staff officially announced the call-up of Paris Saint-Germain's Senny Mayulu from the France Under-21 team. The move came as uncertainty continued over the fitness of the Real Madrid star.

French press reports say Mbappé is suffering from discomfort in his hamstring. He did not take part in the team's last group training session on Wednesday, undergoing treatment only, one day before facing Italy in Milan.

France added Mayulu to the senior squad, a first call-up for the 20-year-old, who was already at the Clairefontaine centre with the youth team.

According to the newspaper "Le Parisien", Mayulu joined to cover the absence of Aurélien Tchouaméni, who left the camp due to injury. At the same time, it pointed to the possibility that the young player could be an additional option to cover any potential absence of Mbappé, given his versatility across positions and his ability to fill attacking roles.

The French network "Canal Plus" went further. It reported that Mbappé will miss the match against Italy due to hamstring pain, and that Zidane decided to call up Mayulu to make up for the shortage in attacking options, especially in the out-and-out striker position.

The French Federation did not announce the details of Mbappé's diagnosis in its statement on Mayulu's call-up. Even so, the player's absence from training, together with the reports that spoke of his exclusion from the Italy fixture, leaves his status for the match in considerable doubt. The focus now turns to whether he can be readied for the following fixture against Turkey, scheduled for next Sunday.

Zidane's troubles do not stop at Mbappé. The France national team is suffering from a series of significant absences ahead of the matches against Italy and Turkey.

Tchouaméni left the camp after sustaining an injury, while the absences of Marcus Thuram and Pierre Kalulu were confirmed after they had been part of the national team's plans. The original list had already lost a number of attacking players to injury, most notably Ousmane Dembélé, Magnes Akliouche and Esteban Lepaul.

Having called up Marcus Thuram before losing him to injury, Zidane was forced into further adjustments. He brought in Elye Junior Kroupi to cover that absence, then turned to Mayulu after Tchouaméni's injury.

These absences carry greater significance given Zidane's desire to establish a clear attacking shape for the national team. France enter this stage of the UEFA Nations League seeking to secure qualification to the quarter-finals, after collecting just one point from the fixture against Italy to guarantee progression according to the group's calculations.

Mbappé's physical crisis comes at a sensitive time. The newspaper "L'Équipe" spoke of a relationship that is not entirely harmonious between the national team captain and his new coach, compared to the relationship the player had with former coach Didier Deschamps.

According to the French reports, the roots of the tension go back to Zidane's first camp in charge, when he decided to deploy Mbappé on the left wing while relying on Dembélé in the heart of the attack. The call was read as a change in the standing of the Madrid star within the attacking system, especially as he has preferred to play as an out-and-out striker in the recent period.

Zidane had tried to contain the matter before the current camp, announcing clearly that Mbappé would get the chance to play in his preferred position as a centre-forward during the matches against Italy and Turkey, with Dembélé absent from the list through injury.

But the latest physical developments threaten to ruin this approach, depriving Zidane of the chance to test the understanding between Mbappé and the rest of the attacking players in the line-up he had planned to rely on.

The reports on the national team's atmosphere were not limited to Mbappé's relationship with his coach. They also pointed to tension with some of his teammates, against the backdrop of the fallout from the competition for the Ballon d'Or and the exchanged statements around it. They spoke, too, of the player's sense of isolation inside the dressing room, and his attempt to grow closer to another group of players.

Zidane now faces a complex test. Beyond managing the successive absences, he must handle the situation of his captain at a time when he needs stability and harmony. Mbappé's potential absence threatens to postpone the first real test of the attacking vision the French coach wanted to apply during this international break.