Mbappé under Ángel Villanueva's scrutiny: injury that could miss the Clasico
In the Real Madrid dressing room, physiotherapist Ángel Villanueva checks Kylian Mbappé's left knee, while news of his injury spreads among the players, and uncertainty.
France announced that Kylian Mbappé suffers a tendon injury in his left knee and will return to Madrid for treatment, without specifying the severity or setting a recovery timeline. The injury occurred on Friday against Turkey, in the play in which the forward scored the French winning goal, and he left the field a few minutes later. Zinedine Zidane declared at the end of the match that the national team would not take risks with its captain, and the federation confirmed his departure from the training camp to return to Madrid.
Injury assessment
Physiotherapist Ángel Villanueva, specialist in anterior cruciate ligament rehabilitation and director of OMNIA Fisioterapia Majadahonda, explained on his X account that the recovery time will depend on the extent of the damage. He notes that the most common layoff for this type of injury ranges between three and eight weeks.
He breaks down the time scale as follows: a mild strain implies two to three weeks; a moderate injury four to six weeks; a serious one six to eight weeks; and a more complicated case, with a significant tear, could extend the absence to ten or twelve weeks. He warns that those figures are general and do not constitute an individual prognosis for Mbappé.
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Implications for the Clasico
The Clasico is scheduled for October 25, four weeks after the injury, so a mild scenario would allow the forward's presence, while a moderate or more serious injury would hinder his participation. Villanueva also recalled that Mbappé had received a knock to the same knee in the match against Elche and showed pain during training ahead of the derby, which made him question whether playing against Turkey had been ideal.
The player himself will undergo new medical examinations on Saturday afternoon in Madrid, tests that will determine the magnitude of the damage and the timetable for his return to training and competition. In the previous season, Mbappé's left knee forced him to alternate matches and periods of absence between December and March, then diagnosed as a sprain, while the French federation now describes the current injury as tendon-related.
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The uncertainty over Mbappé's availability adds a question mark to Real Madrid's planning ahead of the clash with Barcelona, where his presence could be decisive. The upcoming medical test results will be decisive in defining the next step for the French forward.