Kylian Mbappé has been absent from the first two matches at Club World Cup for Real Madrid. The French player, Golden Boot winner, was one of the best players at the end of the season, scoring in almost every match, sometimes more than once, but when he went to the United States for the FIFA competition he suffered gastroenteritis and even had to be hospitalised. He has returned to the training ground, but it is doubtful he will recover on time for Real Madrid's third match at the Group Stage, against RB Salzburg, on Friday at 2:00 AM BST, 3:00 AM CEST.
Yesterday, Real Madrid TV released some images of Mbappé training. And fans are now commenting how thin he looks in the arms and legs.
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Of course, that's natural when you have an stomachal infection as gastroenteritis, so now the question is whether Mbappé will be able to regain the strength he had before his illness in time for Madrid's key matches at Club World Cup: if they beat Salzburg, they would play round of 16 games on Monday or Tuesday against Manchester City or Juventus.
At least, Mbappé's absence has been good news for homegrown player Gonzalo García, who plays for Real Madrid Castilla, its B Team. He has netted once and assisted another goal, and manager Xabi Alonso is said to be really pleased, so we might start seeing him more often next year.