Zidane confirmed that the relationship between them is going perfectly, and he also spoke about the player's situation regarding featuring against Turkey in tomorrow's eagerly awaited clash. The two sides meet in the final round of the UEFA Nations League group stage at the Matmut Atlantique stadium in Bordeaux.
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"Nonsense"
Asked at the pre-match press conference about reports of tension with Mbappé, Zidane replied: "I don't understand it, but it isn't serious. My relationship with him is that of a coach with his player, and things are going perfectly."
He added: "I can't stop people from saying what they want, but this is just nonsense. It's a shame and somewhat annoying."
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The French coach then turned to Mbappé's availability against Turkey. The forward missed the recent clash with Italy because of muscular pain, but Zidane stressed that having him with the national team is a positive, and that the call on his involvement rests with the manager.
"It's better for him to be with us," Zidane said. "There's no problem at all, he will be with us tomorrow, and the rest is down to the coach's choices."
Earlier, Zidane had played down the injury. He judged it nothing serious but preferred not to risk Mbappé against Italy, explaining that the player wanted to feature and expressing hope he would be ready to face Turkey.
On the tactical front, Zidane settled his stance on Paris Saint-Germain's Warren Zaïre-Emery. He prefers to use him in midfield rather than at right-back, despite the youngster's ability to fill more than one role.
"I prefer to see him in the heart of midfield, in his usual position," the France coach said.
He added: "We have four players on the flanks, and we choose according to the players available. If Warren is to feature, it will be in midfield. I want to see him in that position."
Zidane also defended France's defensive set-up after a question about the confusion in the backline during the 3-1 defeat to Italy. He refused to accept the idea of a fragile defence.
"I don't agree at all with what you're saying about the fragility of the defence," he told one journalist. "It wasn't a case of us not putting in a good defensive performance, on the contrary, I think we do it to a very good degree."
On another matter, Zidane renewed his confidence in Manchester City's Rayan Cherki and his place as an advanced midfielder on the right, having leaned on him there in previous matches.
He said of the player: "I see him well in this position. He is capable of playing in other positions, but he is also capable of playing in this one, and he does it to a very good degree."
France head into the Turkey clash second in their group on 10 points, level with leaders Italy and one point clear of third-placed Belgium. That makes the match decisive in the fight to reach the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals.
