On Sunday, Kylian Mbappe was benched again. Amid the superstar's expected exit from Paris Saint-Germain, team manager Luis Enrique decided to exclude Mbappe from the starting lineup during PSG's Ligue 1 clash against Stade de Reims. The match ended up in a 2-2 draw, with the Frenchman seeing action only from the 73rd minute onward.
Amid plenty of speculation about the deteriorating relationship between PSG and Mbappe, Enrique had a wholesome choice of words regarding the forward after the match.
“I wish all the best to Kylian Mbappe for his future,” Enrique said, per GOAL's Aditya Gokhale. “He’s a fantastic player and even more as a person. I really wish him all the best.”
Back in mid-February, Mbappe disclosed that he would plan on leaving PSG following the season's conclusion. The 25-year-old is an upcoming free agent and has been heavily linked to Real Madrid…and Luis Enrique seems to be gearing the club for life after Mbappe already.
Just two days after the confirmation of his exit, Mbappe wasn't named a starter during PSG's win over Nantes. Since then, the World Cup champion has experienced more benching as well as early substitutions leading up to Sunday.
Enrique did note recently that PSG must learn to “live without Mbappe” as the impending move to Real Madrid draws closer. On the other hand, Mbappe disclosed that, contrary to rumors, there's been no feud between him and the manager.
“There is no problem with him (Enrique) even if people think there is a problem,” the forward said, per ESPN.
With no animosity coming from either side, it looks like all the in-game decisions do stem from PSG's preparation for a post-Mbappe chapter.
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