The French forward Kylian Mbappe has been a crucial player for the PSG side ever since he joined them from Monaco. Mbappe has already cemented his legacy as the highest goal scorer for the club, but the 25-year-old Frenchmen has announced his departure from PSG at the end of the season.
Mbappe who joined PSG at a hefty fee is now leaving as a free agent. He is mostly likely to make ties with Real Madrid, who has been pursuing him for the last 3-4 years. As PSG prepare for life without Mbappe, Luis Enrique has once again benched their ace player.
Luis Enrique virtually seals Kylian Mbappe’s PSG departure
The recent action of the PSG coach Luis Enrique has just added fuel to the fire over Kylian Mbappe’s decision of leaving the club. In the recent match, the Frenchmen started the game from the bench mirroring to a similar decision made by the coach to withdraw Mbappe in the halftime against their rival Monaco. These moves by the coach have intensified the drama surrounding Mbappe’s impending departure from the club.
Questions were raised by the fans on the decision of the manager for putting their best player on the bench. However, after the recent game against Reims, Luis Enrique spoke to Prime Video and wished Mbappe luck for the future. He said, “I wish all the best to Kylian Mbappé for his future. He’s a fantastic player and even more as a person. I really wish him all the best.”
Alongside these managerial decisions, Luis Enrique notably substituted Mbappe off in the 65th minute during the match against Rennes on February 26. While Enrique has remained silent on Mbappe’s future, awaiting announcements from the club or the player, his actions on the field concerning the Frenchman tell a different story.
Why is Kylian Mbappe being benched by Luis Enrique?
Luis Enrique’s series of actions regarding Mbappe indicates that there may be no turning back for the player. Since Mbappe’s decision to leave PSG at the end of the season became public, his playing time has noticeably decreased. This was evident in the recent match where Mbappe was placed on the bench against Reims.
As per ESPN, since Mbappe announced his departure from PSG, he has not completed a full 90 minutes in any game. While he appeared in both legs of the Champions League, he has not been given much playing time in the league. Similarly, in the last match, he started on the bench, consistent with Luis Enrique’s decision during the Rennes game. When questioned by an interviewer about the early substitution of Mbappe in the post-match conference, Luis Enrique stated, “Sooner or later, at some point, we have to get used to playing without Kylian Mbappé.”
Mbappe will be leaving PSG at the end of the season and will most likely join the Los Blancos. However, it would be interesting to see how he would be treated by the club and the manager before his departure.
