Head coach of France, Didier Deschamps, has rubbished claims that Kylian Mbappe has a “big ego”.
Deschamps, speaking to the media on Tuesday, also hinted that his star man could be rotated out of the team against Tunisia.
The France boss also reaffirmed his authority over both Mbappe and his team selection while defending the 23-year-old against reports that he has an ego problem.
Speaking at a pre-game press conference, Deschamps said: “His fitness is fine so we don’t need to manage that, so you are saying we have to manage his ego?” What do you know about that? I know but you don’t. Kylian doesn’t have a big ego, that’s not true. He’s a key player but he’s a team player. Of course, he’s a star but he’s not 18-years-old anymore, he’s more experienced.
“He wants to play tomorrow but not all of them can start the match, that’s normal. You can imagine lots of things but I have a lot of factors to take into account. And my information is first hand, straight from the horse’s mouth.”
France have already secured their spot in the knockout stages after two wins against Australia and Denmark. They’ll top Group D should they avoid defeat against a Tunisia side who are winless thus far, making rotation a possibility as Deschamps starts to think about the round of 16 tie on the horizon.