Could Kylian Mbappe Miss El Clasico Against Barcelona After Knee Injury?

Real Madrid await a scan on Kylian Mbappé’s left knee to determine the damage he suffered while scoring for France against Türkiye on Friday, menacingly close to the first Clásico of the season against Barcelona on Oct. 25.

Mbappé seemed to hurt himself striking the ball when he put France into the lead in the 54th minute. He was in obvious discomfort straight away and new manager Zinedine Zidane referred to it afterwards as a “hyperextension” of his knee. The French federation’s statement confirming Mbappé’s withdrawal from the squad explained it is a tendon problem.

Had this been Mbappé’s right knee, the concern might not have been so much. But the left knee was a problem last season.

After a partial ligament tear was identified in December, it initially forced him to miss the Spanish Super Cup semifinal in January, only able to play from the bench in the final loss to Barcelona. Mbappé returned to the XI thereafter, but missed three La Liga matches—including El
Clásico—in March with more knee trouble, as well as Champions League encounters with Manchester City and Benfica.

“We’re not going to take any risks,” Zidane said. So, as a minimum, Mbappé will not play any of France’s three further UEFA Nations League matches during this international window. Les Bleus take on Belgium twice, either side of hosting Italy over the next nine days.

What Is a Hyperextended Knee?

Mbappe injured vs Turkiye — He dropped to the turf during goal celebrations. | Oguz Yeter/Anadolu/Getty Images

According to the Cleveland Clinic, “Hyperextended knees are common injuries for athletes. Mild hyperextensions won’t require surgery.” But … “don’t play through pain or ignore symptoms. This can make a mild injury worse and lead to more severe injuries like torn ligaments.”

It happens when the knee joint bends beyond its usual limit.

Not taking a further risk with Mbappé seems like a sensible course of action, because “severe” hyperextensions are “common causes” of injuries like torn ACLs or MCLs. The initial symptoms are pain and swelling, with the latter sometimes making it difficult to perform scans. Surgery is not necessarily required, but damage to ligaments or tendons may need repairing.

Will Mbappe Be Healthy for El Clasico?

Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappe — Mbappé last faced Barcelona in January. | Haitham AL-SHUKAIRI/AFP/Getty Images

The recovery timeframe all depends on the severity, which is why it is important for Real Madrid medics to get eyes on the knee and see what’s going on.

According to WebMD, “mild sprains” caused by the hyperextension will “often feel better after two weeks of normal treatment measures, such as rest.” That kind of timeframe would make Mbappé a doubt for Real Madrid’s La Liga fixture against Villarreal on Oct. 10, and perhaps in the Champions League against Roma four days later due to the lack of training he will have done.

Anything more severe than mild will require a longer recovery. El Clásico is 29 days away.

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