‘I wish him the best of the best’ – Enrique sends Kylian Mbappé parting message

Once again on Sunday, Kylian Mbappé (25) wasn’t included in the starting line-up in a Ligue 1 fixture. The Frenchman was left out by Luís Enrique, and only brought on for the last 17 minutes in Paris Saint-Germain’s 2-2 draw against Stade de Reims.

The Spanish coach is preparing for life without Mbappé; he has said as much. “Sooner or later, we have to get used to playing without Mbappé,” he has repeated on several occasions. Whilst the France captain remains displaceable in European competition, he is being used more sparingly in the league.

Following reports that he had informed PSG’s hierarchy of his decision to leave the club upon the expiry of his contract at the end of the season, Mbappé was benched against FC Nantes. He did then start against Stade Rennais and then formative club AS Monaco, however, he was hooked at half-time in the latter fixture. Luís Enrique and Mbappé held “constructive” face-to-face talks after that controversial substitution at the Stade Louis II.

After proving decisive in a midweek UEFA Champions League clash against Real Sociedad in midweek, Mbappé dropped back to the bench on Sunday. He came on late, but couldn’t find the winner as PSG slumped to a third consecutive draw in Ligue 1. Prime Video Sport questioned Luís Enrique about his management of Mbappé post-match.

“He is an incredible player and an incredible person. I only wish him the best of the best,” said the Spaniard, typically elusive and cryptic on a topic that he does not enjoy responding to. It does seem, however, that Mbappé has been relegated to the role of a squad player between now and the end of the season, at least in Ligue 1.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle

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