French federation boss: Too soon for a prognosis on Mbappé's injury

France's Kylian Mbappe (L) bleeds from the nose after a collision during the winning the UEFA Euro 2024 Group D soccer match between Austria and France at the Duesseldorf Arena. Fabian Strauch/dpa

French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo said it's "a little premature" to give any prognosis on France superstar Kylian Mbappé, who broke his nose during a 1-0 win against Austria at Euro 2024.

"As far as his participation in the rest of the tournament is concerned, it's a little premature to give a timetable," Diallo said on Tuesday.

"I'm not a doctor, so I don't want to get too far ahead of myself. A series of examinations were carried out on site to see the condition of the nose he had injured.

"They (doctors) have tried to limit the consequences of the fracture so that he can continue to take part in the tournament," Diallo added.

French sports newspaper L'Equipe said he would at least miss the game against the Dutch on Friday.

France coach Didier Deschamps said in a federation video that his striker would need an operation at some point.

"The medical staff did what was necessary to reduce it as much as possible. Even if it will not be immediately, he will have to undergo surgery," he said.

"Already today he was a little better, so we will...monitor it closely every day."

The superstar suffered the injury shortly before the end of Monday's match in Dusseldorf when he hit Kevin Danso's shoulder with his nose at full force while attempting to head the ball. Mbappé then had to be substituted as his nose was bleeding heavily.

The France captain will undergo treatment "over the next few days" and a protective mask will be fitted so that the 25-year-old can return to playing as soon as possible.

The striker tried to make light of the situation.

"Ideas for masks?", Mbappé wrote on X, accompanied by a smiley face.

Danso, for his part, on Tuesday wished Mbappé a speedy recovery.

"To the French fans: I'm sorry that Kylian Mbappé got injured in our clash. I wish him a speedy recovery and hope he can get back on the pitch quickly," he wrote on Instagram.

Netherlands midfielder Tijjani Reijnders said that he expects Mbappé to play their group game on Friday.

"I think Mbappé will be fit in time. We'll definitely see him wearing a mask. He's a great footballer, so we'll have to come up with something," Reijnders said.

France's Kylian Mbappe holds his bleeding nose during the winning the UEFA Euro 2024 Group D soccer match between Austria and France at the Duesseldorf Arena. Matthieu Mirville/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

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