Champions League provides escape for Kylian Mbappé’s strained relationship with PSG
The past week has been a strained period in Kylian Mbappé’s (25) relationship with Paris Saint-Germain as the club look to progress past Real Sociedad in the second leg of their Champions League tie.
His substitution at halftime against AS Monaco on Friday felt pointed . It was at the stadium where he had taken his first steps as a professional, and his last return for the foreseeable future before a summer exit.
It was a change that necessitated a clearing-the-air discussion with his manager Luis Enrique the next morning, while on Sunday a banner was unveiled by a PSG supporters group looking forward to his approaching exit from the club .
All of this has contributed to a strange atmosphere as PSG travel to San Sebastian to protect a 2-0 lead. According to L’Équipe , the message internally has been that PSG wants to send a fitting tribute for their forward in the Spring, but still tension has slipped in.
There has been an end to Mbappé’s special privileges , with reduced playing time and his status as an untouchable within the squad dissipating almost overnight. Something that has begun to be reflected in the position of his brother Ethan Mbappé (17).
The younger Mbappé has not been a part of a matchday squad since the news broke that his older brother had informed the club of his decision to leave PSG at the end of the season.
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