Zinedine Zidane believes Kylian Mbappe's return from injury "changes everything" as France prepare for a crucial Nations League clash against Turkiye.
'It changes everything' – Zidane welcomes Mbappe injury return
Kylian Mbappe missed France's Nations League defeat to Italy, but will return for their crucial clash against Turkiye on Sunday.
Mbappe was sidelined with a hamstring injury during France's 3-1 defeat to Italy on Thursday, swinging Group A1 wide open ahead of the final games.
The defeat, which was Zidane's first since taking over from Didier Deschamps, leaves France second in the group ahead of hosting Turkiye, with leaders Italy travelling to third-place Belgium on Sunday.
Victory for France would guarantee a spot in the quarter-finals, and Mbappe's return gives Les Bleus a timely boost.
The Real Madrid forward scored the only goal in the reverse fixture against Turkiye, though he missed the other three fixtures during the previous international break through injury.
"It changes everything; we prefer to have him than not have him," said Zidane on Mbappe's injury return.
"There's no problem, he'll be with us. You'll see how we play. These are coaching matters.
"They are all normally available. But we have to wait for the last training session. But all the players are available to train.
"We know what we did in Italy. We did some good things, but when you lose, there are things that didn't go so well.
"Even if a point is enough, our objective is always to win the match. We'll have to play a great match."
There have been rumours that Zidane's relationship with Mbappe has soured recently, but the 54-year-old was quick to brush those off.
"I don't understand, but it's not a big deal," he said of the rumours. "That's why I'm not going to get into the debate.
"I have the relationship of a coach with his player, and it's going perfectly. I can't stop people from saying what's being said. But it's nonsense. It's a shame and quite annoying."
Lucas Da Cunha, who has taken his chances so far under Zidane in France's midfield, also welcomed Mbappe's return.
"Kylian is with us; he's in good shape. He's available like everyone else. We feel him with us," said the Como midfielder.
"We're all confident; nobody has a problem. We're all together and ready to face this match.
"He always has a very important role in this group, both on and off the field. He is super important for us, for the team.
"He has a great hunger, and he will be ready to help us as he does every time."
