Zinedine Zidane dismissed speculation of a conflict with Kylian Mbappé ahead of France’s decisive match against Turkey in the Nations League. The coach said that his relationship with the captain was good and described reports of tension between them as „nonsense“.
„I don’t understand these things; it’s not a big problem. That’s why I’m not going to get involved in this debate,“ Zidane said.
He added that the communication between the two was normal for the relationship between a coach and a player. „We have a coach-player relationship with him and everything is going excellently. I can’t stop people from saying whatever they want, but this is nonsense. It’s a shame and quite irritating,“ the coach said.
Mbappé missed the 3-1 defeat to Italy in Milan due to a thigh muscle injury. Zidane confirmed that the forward had recovered and would be available for the match against Turkey.
France will host Turkey in Bordeaux in their final Group A1 match. A draw will be enough for „Les Bleus“ to secure a place in the tournament’s quarter-finals. The match is scheduled for Sunday at the Matmut Atlantique stadium in Bordeaux.
The France – Turkey match will be broadcast on DIEMA SPORT 2.