Deschamps Drops France Captain Mbappe

Captain Killian Mbappe has again been left out of the French national team this month’s European Nations League window.

Manager Didier Deschamps says his decision to leave Mbappe out of the squad the double-header is a “one-off”.

The Real Madrid forward was not selected for upcoming matches against Israel and Italy.

The 25 year old Mbappe was left out of France’s squad in October for two Nations League matches as a precaution given he had just returned from injury and had been expected to return for selection this month.

The forward, who joined Real Madrid on a free transfer last summer from Paris St. Germain, has struggled for form since moving to the Bernabeu.

Mbappe has scored eight goals in 15 appearances for the La Liga club but has only netted once in his past five games.

Real, who won both the Champions League and La Liga last season, were beaten 4-0 by rivals Barcelona last month and trail the Catalans by nine points in the league.

Mbappe, a World Cup winner in 2018, has scored 48 goals in 86 appearances for France.