DREAM TEAM EUROS doesn’t really get started properly until Kylian Mbappe (£7.5m) has played.
France’s No10 registered eight points in his first outing of the tournament despite the fact he missed a golden one-on-one opportunity against Austria.
The 25-year-old notched an assist for his decisive contribution to the game’s only goal, a disastrous own goal from defender Max Wober (£2.5m).
Mbappe also banked three bonus points for a performance that, while lively, didn’t require the superstar forward to slip into a high gear.
With an ownership of 45.7%, most Dream Team Euros managers would have been relatively content with an eight-point return, although those who captained Mbappe will have been frustrated by the surprising miss.
However, a major spanner was thrown in the works late on when Les Bleus’ captain collided with Kevin Danso’s shoulder (£2.5m) at a set-piece.
The impact left Mbappe with a broken nose that forced him off, though not before he collected a cheap yellow card for entering the field of play before being instructed – an unusual moment that resulted in a minus point.
With the deadline for Matchday 2 at 1pm on Wednesday (June 19th) gaffers are now sweating on the availability of arguably the highest-profile player in Dream Team Euros.
The French Football Federation has published a statement saying: “Kylian Mbappe has returned to the base camp of the French team. He will undergo treatment in the coming days, without undergoing surgery immediately.
“A mask will be made so as to allow the No10 of the French team to consider resuming competition after a period devoted to treatment.”
That last phrase is crucial as “after a period devoted to treatment” suggests Mbappe is a doubt for France’s meeting with the Netherlands on Friday.
Even accounting for the best mask money can buy, will Didier Deschamps risk his star player with qualification for the round of 16 all but assured after Monday night’s victory over Austria?
“I don’t think it’s that bad,” Adrien Rabiot (£3.5m) told reporters when asked about his team-mate’s injury. “I think he can recover quickly.
“Let’s see what the doctors say. He may miss the next game against the Netherlands but he will surely be back very quickly.”
Competitive Dream Team Euros bosses can’t afford to accommodate a £7.5m striker who doesn’t play in Matchday 2.
The risk-adverse approach is to replace him with one of the other premium assets who are guaranteed to start in the second round of group games, such as Harry Kane (£7.5m) or Jude Bellingham (£6m).
Portugal play their first game this evening against Czechia and, depending on how that plays out, Cristiano Ronaldo (£6m) could also be considered a viable replacement for Mbappe – the five-time Ballon d’Or winner at least offers a similar level of goal threat.
The top-scoring forward in the game at the time of writing is Cody Gakpo (£4m) but, funnily enough, he faces France next and so he’s likely to find points harder to come by.
Elsewhere, Kai Havertz (£4.5m) is already a popular recruit prior to Matchday 2 after his impressive showing during Germany’s 5-1 thrashing of Scotland, in which he bagged 13 points.
It’s possible gaffers will be offered a further update from the French camp in relation to Mbappe’s availability before 1pm tomorrow but as it stands, the joint-most expensive asset in the game has to be considered a major availability risk.
