Kylian Mbappe Injury: Progress, Potential Recovery Date As El Clasico Looms
Real Madrid’s 1–1 draw away at Real Betis would have been miserable for Los Blancos even without the terrifying sight of Kylian Mbappé limping off injured.
The Frenchman managed 81 minutes of the match before signaling to the bench that he needed to be withdrawn. His exit kick-started a downward spiral which ended with a 94th-minute equalizer from Betis right back Héctor Bellerín.
“He was feeling some discomfort and we’ll have to see how it develops.” manager Álvaro Arbeloa stressed after the final whistle.
With just under seven weeks until the start of the World Cup, there were obvious concerns over the impact of this injury on the Frenchman’s preparations for the summer, while Madrid fans are also looking at next month’s Clásico against Barcelona with an air of worry.
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What Injury Does Mbappé Have?
The outcome of Madrid’s pitchside examination found its way into countless reports, with club staff believing Mbappé had suffered a left hamstring strain.
Tests were conducted over the weekend and now Madrid have confirmed as much, diagnosing Mbappé with a semitendinosus muscle injury in his left leg.
Fans will be relieved to see Mbappé’s issue does not involve his troublesome knee, which has sent him to the sidelines no fewer than three times already this season.
When Could Mbappé Return From Injury?
While Madrid’s initial statement did not indicate the severity of Mbappé’s injury or a potential timeline for his return, the belief is that the Frenchman has avoided anything particularly serious.
A tear would have left Mbappé sweating over his involvement at this summer’s World Cup across the United States, Canada and Mexico. Instead, the headline event standing out on his calendar is El Clásico against Barcelona on May 10.
Mbappé will miss Sunday’s trip to Espanyol while he recovers but a final verdict over his return before the biggest fixture of the La Liga season seven days later remains up in the air.
The fact Mbappé’s injury is not believed to be particularly severe opens the door to a comeback against Barcelona, although whether he will be anywhere close to full fitness is a different question entirely.
Crucially, however, Mbappé has not yet been ruled out of the game, although this is a tactic Madrid have used before. Indeed, earlier this season, Los Blancos refused to end hopes of a return from injury for Mbappé during a Champions League league phase meeting with Manchester City. He even made the matchday squad as a substitute but was clearly not ready to play, going unused even though Madrid were losing.
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