Kylian Mbappe could be absent until quarterfinal stage in big blow to France's Euro 2024 hopes

Kylian Mbappe could be out until the quarter-final stage of the ongoing Euro 2024 after suffering a nasty nose injury during the opening fixture against Austria on Monday (Jun 17), a report in The Guardian has claimed. France have two more matches in the group stage but Mbappe's absence would mean that Les Bleus will have to dig deep and find solutions elsewhere.

While Mbappe might aim for a quick return to action, the French Football Federation (FFF) is busy sourcing a tailor-made mask for their star player after a surgery was ruled out at the current stage.

“Concerning his participation in the rest of the tournament, it is a bit premature to decide that. The news coming from the doctors is more positive than not and luckily he doesn’t need surgery which would rule him out completely for the rest of the tournament," said FFF president Philippe Diallo on Tuesday.

Mbappe broke his nose after a hefty collision with Austria and Lens defenderdefender Kevin Danso, deep into the second half with the French side leading 1-0.

After the accident, Mbappe was rushed to the hospital where results showed that his condition was not too serious but might require a significant recovery period.

The newly-announced Real Madrid player looked in high spirits when he took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to look at the funny side of things.

Mbappe jokingly asked his fans for suggestions for what type of mask he should wear the next time he takes the field.

He wrote: "Any ideas for masks?"

Roy Keane slams Mbappe

While fans sympathised with Mbappe for the injury, former Manchester United player-turned-pundit, Roy Keane, was not overly impressed by the French striker's antics.

Notably, after being attended by the medics on the pitch, Mbappe went out briefly as the game continued with 10-men France defending their slender side.

However, a few moments later, Mbappe returned to the pitch and instantly sat down, bringing the game to a halt.

The referee ran to Mbappe and showed him a yellow-card for attempting to slow down the proceedings.

"He gets an injury, obviously it’s frustrating he’s gone back on the pitch. Whether he’s trying to stop the play... but he’s gone on to sit on the pitch. I don’t like to see this, this is out of order. Listen, whether he’s been instructed by the manager to go back, he’s obviously had treatment, he’s come off," said Keane on ITV.

"I don’t mind he’s gone back on the pitch, I know players can make mistakes. But to go back on and sit on the pitch, he deserved that yellow card. I don’t like to see it. No, it’s not (good gamesmanship)," he added.

France next square up against the Netherlandsin Leipzig on Friday (Jun 21) before finishing the Group D league stage against Poland in Dortmund, next week.

(With inputs from agencies)