Kylian Mbappé may have caused a fright to PSG ahead of a busy month with his injury on Wednesday, but manager Christophe Galtier said he’s not too concerned.
The French superstar was subbed off in the 21st minute of the club’s 3–1 win over Montpellier yesterday after clutching his knee and thigh following a challenge. However, Mbappé was able to walk off the field on his own power.
“Is it a bruise? Is it a contusion?” Galtier said in the postgame press conference. “We don’t know yet. It doesn’t look very serious. We are not too worried.”
The injury came after a bizarre sequence in which Mbappé missed a penalty but was awarded a retake by the referee. The forward then stepped to the spot again and saw his penalty kicked saved and sent off the crossbar before he sent a wide-open rebound chance well over the bar.
It wasn’t long until he limped off the pitch, while defender Sergio Ramos also left the match in the first half due to injury. But behind a goal from Lionel Messi, PSG jumped out to a five-point lead atop the Ligue 1 table ahead of a hectic schedule.
In the next two weeks, the French giants will have to play two league matches, face rival Marseille in the French Cup and then restart its Champions League campaign with a round of 16 matchup against German champion Bayern Munich, leading to concerns that Mbappé may not be at 100%.