Dayot Upamecano believes a ‘lack of gratitude’ shown towards absent Kylian Mbappé | OneFootball

For the second successive international break, Kylian Mbappé (25) is absent from the France squad. Speaking a a press conference on Tuesday, international teammate Dayot Upamecano (26) has defended the Real Madrid forward.

Mbappé’s absence from the squad in October was roundly criticised, even before his trip to Sweden. The former Paris Saint-Germain forward was left out on the basis of an injury, however, his appearance in Real Madrid’s final game before the international break somewhat weakened that argument. It came amid reports that Mbappé did not want to be with the France set-up during the international break in September, and his attitude during that camp has since been called into question.

The France captain has once again been left out by Didier Deschamps, however, the reasons for the omission remain vague amid speculation and different theories. Deschamps has insisted that it was his decision and one taken in the best interest of all parties. It is a vague explanation and one that, naturally, has given rise to wide speculation, some of which does not reflect well on Mbappé.

Upamecano has defended his teammate and said that he hopes for Mbappé to make a swift return to the France set-up. “Am I worried [about Mbappé]? No. You can’t forget what he’s done for the France national team. We lack a it of gratitude towards him. I hope to see him again quickly. You can’t forget that he is our captain,” began the Bayern Munich defender.

He added, “I said at the start of the season that there were lots of matches and that we are human. The mental aspect is very important for us footballers. I won’t go into details. He is our captain and I hope to see him soon. He is very important to us. He is a super player and a friend too.”

GFFN | Luke Entwistle