France opened the Zinedine Zidane era with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Turkey, but the victory came at a cost. Kylian Mbappé scored the only goal before limping off with an injury to his left knee, leaving the Les Bleus captain a serious doubt.
Zidane confirmed afterwards that Mbappé would leave the national team camp and return to Spain, unable to complete the international break. The news sparked immediate concern within the French squad, given how much the Real Madrid striker means to the side.
Fears over his condition only grew after Chelsea defender Maxence Lacroix revealed that the players had grasped the seriousness of the injury once the match finished.
Lacroix told the French website "Foot Mercato": "At first we were focused on the match, but when we got to the dressing room, we realised the matter was more serious. We all know that Kylian's presence is different from his absence, and we wish him a speedy recovery."
Those words capture just how much Mbappé matters to this France team. Now they must see out the international break without their captain, waiting to learn the nature of the injury and how long he will be sidelined.