Three weeks after Real Madrid’s last competitive match, Kylian Mbappé is back in training and available again, with an October schedule about to test both the French captain and a troubled Madrid squad.
The move
Mbappé took part in his first Real Madrid session on Wednesday since being injured while playing for France in the 1-0 defeat in Turkey on 25 September. He is now expected to be in contention for Saturday’s Liga trip to Villarreal, in the eighth round of the season.
His physical condition has been described as optimal, leaving José Mourinho with the option of starting the 2018 World Cup winner. The Madrid coach has reportedly spoken privately with Mbappé this week, urging him to keep a lower profile away from football.
The forward’s recent time away from the pitch has created unwanted attention around the club. A nightclub appearance, a social-media post featuring a bicycle and uncertainty over his fitness have all irritated those around Real Madrid.
Madrid, however, do not officially regard the episodes as a controversy. The club believes there is no prospect of Mbappé being whistled by supporters at the Bernabéu, while Mourinho is expected to support the player firmly when he addresses the media on Friday.
The French season around it
For France, Mbappé’s return is significant after an injury sustained during the international window. The captain had been sidelined since the match in Turkey, but his availability for Villarreal suggests that the problem has eased quickly.
His club return comes after Madrid entered the break on the back of a 2-1 defeat to Atlético Madrid. Villarreal are first up on Saturday, before an unforgiving sequence: a Champions League visit to Roma on Wednesday, home matches against Sevilla and Leipzig, then the Clasico in Barcelona on 25 October.
That run will unfold against reports of a strained atmosphere within the Madrid dressing room. The mood has been characterised as cold for months, with Mourinho yet to alter a dynamic that had already caused problems under Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa.
An earlier confrontation between Aurélien Tchouaméni and Federico Valverde, which reportedly escalated into a physical clash, has been cited as one illustration of the tensions in the group.
- Kylian Mbappé: France captain, back available after injury.
- Aurélien Tchouaméni: French midfielder involved in a reported previous dressing-room incident.
- José Mourinho: tasked with steadying Madrid before a decisive October spell.
Mourinho’s intensity has not yet been enough to remove the chill around the squad. Mbappé’s fitness and conduct will therefore be under close scrutiny as Madrid attempt to recover from their derby loss and navigate a month that could shape their domestic and European campaign.
