Kylian Mbappe Injury: Progress, Potential Return Date for Real Madrid Star

Real Madrid have reportedly learned a rough timeline for Mbappé’s recovering from a knee injury sustained while on international duty for France.

Kylian Mbappé was in agony on his first appearance for Zinedine Zidane’s France. | Burak Kara/Getty Images

There is a belief within Real Madrid that Kylian Mbappé has an “outside chance” of not missing a single game for the La Liga giants despite sheepishly limping out of France’s victory over Türkiye on Friday night.

Mbappé scored the only goal in a timid 1–0 win but had to be withdrawn moments after that rare highlight. The 27-year-old went down holding his left knee, which Real Madrid would subsequently diagnose as “hyperextended,” sparking grave fears about his availability ahead of a congested slate of club fixtures.

However, scans of the offending joint have left those in the Spanish capital “hopeful” that Mbappé will only be sidelined for around two weeks, The Athletic report. Considering the potential repercussions of a knee injury at almost any other time of the season, Madrid can count themselves lucky.

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What Injury Does Kylian Mbappe Have?

Kylian Mbappé was visibly in pain. | Yagiz Gurtug/MB Media/Getty Images

Mbappé has hyperextended his knee, bending it backward, seemingly in the act of scoring his record-extending 67th international goal. The Real Madrid forward received the ball on the edge of Türkiye’s box, chopped infield from an unusual position on the left wing, and sent a stinging shot past Uğurcan Çakır with a sweep inside the near post.

Whether it was an awkward placing of his standing leg while taking aim or the aggravation of an existing issue, Mbappé immediately pulled up holding his left knee before medical treatment concluded with his substitution.

Fears of a lengthy layoff were underpinned by recent struggles with the same area of his body. Mbappé damaged his left knee last winter only to be encouraged to carry on playing after Real Madrid’s medical staff mistakenly scanned his uninjured right knee. As the issue became aggravated by more minutes, the correct leg was belatedly inspected before Mbappé sat out consecutive fixtures around the turn of the year.

During the same season more knee problems forced Mbappé to miss five Real Madrid matches over the spring. However, his absence this time around is not expected to be nearly as lengthy.

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When Will Mbappe Return From Injury for Real Madrid?

Kylian Mbappé is Real Madrid’s top scorer thus far this season. | Diego Souto/Getty Images

Any injury for a Barcelona or Real Madrid player is heightened when El Clásico looms on the horizon. The two behemoths of the Spanish game face off on Oct. 25, by which time Mbappé should have long since made his return.

A timeline of two weeks has been circulated through multiple media outlets, which could even see Madrid’s star man return for the club’s first league match back against Villarreal on Saturday, Oct. 10.

That may be too much of a push for Mbappé, who will undoubtedly want to be at his best for the Champions League trip to Roma four days later. José Mourinho’s side also take on an in-form Sevilla and host RB Leipzig before descending into the lion’s den at the end of next month.

Mbappé has been regularly accused of going missing in Madrid’s biggest games but he does have an encouraging personal record in El Clásico.

After a humbling debut in the fixture marked by his eight offsides, Mbappé scored a hat-trick the first time he took on Barcelona for Los Blancos in Catalonia. Madrid, however, still lost 4–3. The Frenchman would come out on the right side of last season’s first Clásico, nabbing the opener in a 2–1 win, but he missed the Camp Nou return fixture through injury. History is not expected to repeat itself this fall.

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