KYLIAN MBAPPE has tested positive for coronavirus after he was pictured hugging and touching France team-mates in training. The superstar becomes the latest Frenchman and Paris Saint-Germain player to contract Covid-19. Mbappe, 21, trained with France on Monday, looking all smiles as he hugged PSG teammate Presnel Kimpembe before touching larking around with Lille ace […]
KYLIAN MBAPPE has tested positive for coronavirus after he was pictured hugging and touching France team-mates in training.
The superstar becomes the latest Frenchman and Paris Saint-Germain player to contract Covid-19.
Mbappe, 21, trained with France on Monday, looking all smiles as he hugged PSG teammate Presnel Kimpembe before touching larking around with Lille ace Jonathan Ikone.
He was also pictured stretching in the middle of a group of teammates.
And Mbappe has now left France’s squad with immediate effect, meaning he will miss tomorrow’s Nations League clash with Croatia.
Mbappe will now also be absent for the start of PSG’s Ligue 1 campaign, sitting out clashes with Lens and Marseille.
Manchester United’s Paul Pogba and Tottenham’s Tanguy Ndombele were both forced to withdraw from international duty before Saturday’s 1-0 win over Sweden after testing positive for coronavirus.
And Mbappe joins PSG teammates Neymar, Angel Di Maria, Mauro Icardi and Leandro Paredes on the sidelines after they too contracted Covid-19 following last month’s Champions League final defeat to Bayern Munich.
He will now self-isolate for a fortnight.
But the news is sure to be a bitter blow for both France boss Didier Deschamps and PSG chief Thomas Tuchel.
Indeed, Deschamps even switched formation to a 3-4-1-2 against Sweden in an effort to get Mbappe closer to goal.
His absence could hand Manchester United’s Anthony Martial a rare international start.
Mbappe has scored 14 times in 35 games for France while bagging an impressive 90 goals in just three years at PSG.
But after their Champions League heartbreak against Bayern in August, Mbappe has called on PSG to splash even more cash in order to land Europe’s top prize.
He told Telefoot: “I am optimistic we will win the Champions League.
“We have to because, if we don’t believe it, no one is going to believe it for us.
“It’s football and you have to get over it. Lots of teams lost a final and won the year after.
“You have to recruit well, you have to buy players. I hope we will have good recruits and we restart with the aim of doing better.”
