Who could captain France in Kylian Mbappé’s absence?

Kylian Mbappé (26) was on the scoresheet once again on Friday. The Real Madrid forward netted the opener in a comfortable 3-0 win over Azerbaijan, which took Les Bleus one step closer to qualification for the FIFA World Cup.

However, it is a result that came at a cost for France. Mbappé arrived with a minor ankle injury, which forced him to miss training at the start of last week. However, as the match against Azerbaijan approached, he returned, and on the eve of the fixture, he expressed his determination to partake in the game. 

Didier Deschamps put Mbappé in from the start but the forward did not complete the match, coming off with an injury to the same ankle. The injury is not thought to be serious, but he will miss Monday’s match against Iceland.

It leaves France looking to name a captain for the encounter. As per a report from L’Équipe, the two options are Mike Maignan or Dayot Upamecano. The latter, who started against Azerbaijan, is almost certain to start once again, with Ibrahima Konaté withdrawing from the squad through injury. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle