Real Madrid suffered a worrying blow during the international break. Kylian Mbappé injured his left knee while playing for France, limping off the pitch in France's first match under Zidane. Now the club await the results of medical examinations that will determine the length of his absence.
According to the Spanish newspaper "Sport", initial examinations in France revealed a tendon injury. That prompted the French Football Federation to rule him out of the rest of the international break, and the player returned to Madrid for further tests at Valdebebas.
Mbappé arrived in the capital on Saturday and went straight to Real Madrid's training centre. He underwent the examinations before leaving the facility after around 20 minutes.
No final diagnosis or official absence period has been issued so far, pending the completion of the medical assessment.
Early information points to the French striker being sidelined for anything between 3 and 8 weeks, according to "AS" and reports close to Real Madrid. That timeframe remains unconfirmed until the final diagnosis lands.
Concern within the club has doubled because of Mbappé's history with his left knee. He suffered problems in the same area last season, which affected his involvement in several important matches and kept him out of the fixtures against Benfica and Manchester City.
The timing could hardly be worse. Real Madrid face a brutal run in the coming weeks, foremost among them the Clásico against Barcelona on 25 October at the Spotify Camp Nou.
Should Mbappé's absence stretch to between 6 and 8 weeks, Real Madrid could lose their French striker for the Clásico. The club now await the results of the final examinations to settle both the length of the absence and the severity of the injury.
This latest setback adds to a growing list of concerns over his injury record. Mbappé has suffered 7 injuries in more than two years since joining Real Madrid, though the club are refusing to draw any conclusions before the examinations are complete and the nature of the injury officially confirmed.