France star Kylian Mbappe on Wednesday denied media reports that said that his Real Madrid club examined the wrong leg when he sustained a knee injury late last year.
The soccer show After Foot on French broadcaster RMC Sport reported this week that the Spanish club had initially scanned his right knee, rather than the left one, in December last year.
Other media in Spain ran similar stories, nearly all of them citing RMC.
Photo: Reuters
Mbappe played throughout January, but was sidelined for three-and-a-half weeks before making his latest comeback.
“The report that said that they [examined] the wrong knee is false,” Mbappe told a news conference ahead of France’s FIFA World Cup warmup game against Brazil. “I am maybe responsible indirectly for this situation, because when you don’t communicate on what’s happening, it opens doors to others’ interpretations.”
The club said in late December last year that Mbappe had sprained his left knee.
Mbappe said he has “very clear communication” with Real Madrid.
France were to play Brazil at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, and face Colombia on Sunday at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Maryland.
On Monday in Paris, Mbappe said that his knee felt fine.
He was used as a substitute in Real Madrid’s past two matches as he works his way back into form.
“There was a lot of frustration, a lot of anger and then also some anxiety at one point,” Mbappe told French media on Monday at a promotional event. “I had reached a stage where I didn’t know what was wrong with me. I didn’t go through that period in the best way. I wasn’t the happiest player in the world, but I’m happy now because it’s truly behind me. It’s all gone.”
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