Is Kylian Mbappe back? Xabi Alonso provides key fitness update on superstar striker after injury on France duty

Mbappe's participation in their first World Cup qualifier of the October international break was hanging in the balance due to an ankle injury he sustained while playing for Madrid against Villarreal in La Liga. Despite the knock, the France captain took to the the field against Azerbaijan last Friday but he suffered another ankle knock and had to be subbed off in the 83rd minute.

The attacker was subsequently released from the France squad so that he could work on his recovery back at Madrid's facilities. A statement from the French Football Federation read: "Upon the French delegation's return to Clairefontaine, the French team captain spoke with Didier Deschamps. The national coach has confirmed his absence. Kylian Mbappe has been released to his club and will not be replaced."

Ahead of Los Blancos' upcoming La Liga match against Getafe on Sunday, manager Alonso provided a key update on Mbappe's condition. Speaking to reporters at the pre-match press conference, the Spanish coach said: "Yes, Kylian Mbappe is back and can also start against Getafe."

Mbappe's recovery comes as welcome news for the Spanish giants, who will aim to occupy the top spot in the league ahead of their Clasico fixture against arch-rival Barcelona next week. The French star is currently enjoying a remarkable scoring run, having scored in his last 10 consecutive matches for both club and country. His recent scoring streak includes goals against Ukraine, Real Sociedad, Kairat, and Espanyol, with the 26-year-old hitting the net in multiple competitions. He also broke the deadlock in France's 3-0 win against Azerbaijan with his 17th goal in 13 appearances for club and country this season, which also marked his 53rd international goal for France, meaning he is now only four goals away from Olivier Giroud's record as Les Bleus' all-time top scorer.

Alonso created shockwaves in Europe after his scintillating stint at Bayer Leverkusen, where he helped the German side win the Bundesliga title in the 2023/24 season. Following his brief stint as a manager at Leverkusen, the Spaniard returned to Real Madrid, where he had previously played with distinction. Mbappe, who is in fine form, lavished praise on the manager while claiming the Madrid players want to help Alonso with as many trophies as possible.

Speaking about Ancelotti and Alonso's managerial style, Mbappe had to Movistar+: "They're different, two generations of coaches who have crossed paths. Ancelotti is one of the best in history. When you arrive, you're happy to play for him; he's always close to the players. Xabi wants to help a lot, but he's younger. He has more need and desire to prove himself with Real Madrid, to achieve things in his first big opportunity at the best club in the world. We're going to try to help him win as many titles as possible. It's an important year for Real Madrid and the national team. We're starting to understand what the manager wants from us, but we have to improve to get where we want to be."

Alonso will have to rotate his squad as much as possible in the next few matches, as they face a hectic fixture list that involves playing four matches in a span of 13 days, starting this Sunday. The fixture list also includes a key Champions League game against Juventus on October 22 and El Clasico in La Liga four days later. Madrid are currently at the top of the table with 21 points from eight matches. 

The Real Madrid boss says he's taking one game at a time: "For me, the next one is always the toughest when I'm going through a block. This one with fewer games because we've had a clean week, but we want to keep making progress, being consistent in all competitions. We're thinking about what's coming next, which is Getafe. We're not looking any further ahead. We're aware of what's coming, obviously, but what we've talked about internally is tomorrow's opponent, which will be very demanding. So far, we've been very consistent and reliable, but we can't let our guard down."