It all started with a match against Celta de Vigo at the beginning of December. The MRI reveals damage to the external lateral ligament of the left knee for Kylian Mbappé. Although he was announced to be out for 3 weeks, the Frenchman returned earlier than expected. And while we thought he had recovered fairly quickly, the former PSG player seems to be suffering from pain after each match. Result: more than a month later, the lesion has still not resolved. On Tuesday, unable to complete training, he had to throw in the towel before the return clash against Benfica.
Since then, Real Madrid has been very worried because its relapse comes at the worst time. The Champions League round of 16 arrives in two weeks (Manchester City or Sporting), the Madrid derby against Atlético in three. And Mbappé, 13 goals in 8 C1 matches this season, is almost the most important player in the Madrid squad. And to make matters worse, there remains uncertainty around his recovery even though Alvaro Arbeloa was vague at a press conference on this subject. “We know what he has, and what we want is for him to recover. It will take as long as it takes. »
Mbappé is stuck by the calendar
Another problem, the upcoming deadlines… for the French team. To properly treat his injury, an operation would be necessary. But according to information from A.S.Mbappé does not intend to have surgery and categorically refuses this option. Surgery would sideline him until the end of the season, and with the World Cup starting June 11 in the United States, it’s an option he’s completely refusing. The club and the player are therefore exploring conservative solutions, under the supervision of Nico Mihic, Real’s chief doctor, who also consults several external specialists. Problem: no return date has been set, and no one within the club can guarantee that this approach will be enough to get it back on its feet within the expected time frame.
This Thursday, the Spanish press revealed that his duration of absence could ultimately be a month and a half and a return for mid-April. And even so, without surgery, it’s hard to think that he will be able to quickly return to his best level. Because the reality is that his level has clearly dropped compared to the start of the season. He who had kept the Merengues at arm’s length during the first half is seeing his end of the season crumble even before the big matches. What if the rush in December cost Mbappé his World Cup? That’s the whole question.
