Real Madrid monitors Mbappé's ankle after France win

Real Madrid will monitor Kylian Mbappé’s fitness after the France forward limped off during his nation’s 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Azerbaijan on Friday at the Parc des Princes. Mbappé, who opened the scoring, was withdrawn in the 83rd minute after suffering a blow to an ankle that had been sore after Real Madrid’s recent game with Villarreal, and he has since been released from the France squad to return to Madrid for evaluation.

France coach Didier Deschamps described the problem as a recurrence of the same ankle issue, saying, "He received another blow to the same ankle where he was hurt before. The pain decreases when he rests. In a match, contacts are inevitably going to happen. We will assess it. He has discomfort that is not ideal for him." The French Football Federation confirmed Mbappé will miss France’s next qualifier against Iceland but that further assessment will take place once he is back with his club.

Real Madrid issued a medical update saying initial tests on Mbappé’s ankle have not revealed a serious injury and that he will be able to train with the squad next week. Club officials have described the problem as minor, although they acknowledged that the...