France superstar Kylian Mbappé trained individually on Wednesday after suffering a nose fracture in the Euro 2024 opener against Austria.
Mbappé took to the pitch some 20 minutes after his team-mates completed their session. He practised some passing drills and ran a few laps around the Paderborn stadium.
He had a large plaster on his nose and will need a specially-designed mask to play France's second group stage match against the Netherlands on Friday. It is still unclear, however, whether the 2018 world champion will be available.
Mbappé suffered the injury late on in the 1-0 win over Austria in their opening Group D game on Monday.
The L'Equipe sports newspaper said he will miss Friday's game although France have yet to confirm this. Coach Didier Deschamps only confirmed that he will need a mask and an operation at some point.
Team-mate Adrien Rabiot said on Wednesday that he believes Mbappé will return to the pitch quickly despite the injury.
"A broken nose is not the end of the world. He should be back with us very quickly," the 29-year-old told reporters at the team's base in Paderborn.
Mbappé himself posted on Instagram on Wednesday, writing: “Without risks there are no victories.”
Defender William Saliba also believes the 25-year-old Mbappé is on the road to recovery.
"I saw him this morning. He was feeling a bit better, he was on his way for further tests, that's all I know," he said.
In contrast to Mbappé, forward Olivier Giroud, who has been struggling with a knock recently, took part in team training on Wednesday. The veteran could replace Mbappé up front against the Netherlands.
Defenders Dayot Upamecano and Saliba, on the other hand, were absent from team training, as was Theo Hernández. Upamecano and Saliba paired up in the centre of the defence against Austria. Like Mbappé, Hernández and Saliba trained individually.
