Mbappe out for three weeks

Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe will be out of action for the next three weeks following a serious injury sustained in the French Cup final last Friday (July 24). He now seems likely to miss the club’s UEFA Champions League quarter-final clash against Atalanta next month.

Mbappe was at the receiving end of a nasty tackle by Loic Perrin in the first half of PSG’s victory over Saint-Etienne. Perrin was red-carded for his efforts.

Mbappe took part in the trophy celebrations after the 1-0 win on crutches, looking like he had suffered serious damage. His club said it now seems likely that he will be out for at least three weeks.
“As announced after the final of the Coupe de France against Saint-Etienne, Kylian Mbappe was examined on Monday in order to know the severity of his right ankle injury,” a statement published on the club’s official website read.
“The examination performed today confirms a sprained ankle with external ligament injury. Following this, the recovery time is estimated at around three weeks.”

That would mean missing the game against Atalanta on August 12, although he could return for the semi-finals and final of the Champions League tournament held in Lisbon, should PSG make it that far. The late stages of the leading European club cup competition are taking place in the Portuguese capital with a series of one-off games next month.

The highly condensed nature of the competition means PSG will be sweating on the fitness of one of their biggest stars as they attempt to win the Champions League for the first time in their history. The saving grace for PSG is that the France international has avoided serious ligament damage or any broken bones.

PSG also have the Coupe de la Ligue final against Lyon to negotiate on July 31, as they look to complete a domestic treble before refocusing on August’s revamped Champions League.

While Thomas Tuchel’s side will still be considered heavy favourites by many going into the clash with Atalanta, Gian Piero Gasperini’s side have scored 96 goals in 36 Serie A games this season and should not be underestimated. Tuchel will still have considerable attacking talent to choose from if Mbappe is unavailable but with Edinson Cavani having already departed after the end of his contract, losing Mbappe is a significant blow.

Mbappe has scored 30 goals and registered 18 assists in 34 appearances for PSG this season. That includes five goals and five assists in seven games in the Champions League.