Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe has returned to training after being hospitalised with acute gastroenteritis – which has forced him to miss Los Blancos’ two opening FIFA Club World Cup games – and his physique has drastically changed as a result of the illness.
Xabi Alonso has been without his star man – who scored 43 goals in his maiden season in Spain – for the start of the showpiece in the United States. Without them, they have four points from a 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia outfit Al-Hilal and a 3-1 win over Pachuca.
The speedster – widely regarded as one of the best players in world football – could well miss their third encounter, against RB Salzburg on Friday, as he bids to fully recover in the inevitable event that they qualify for the competition’s knockout rounds.
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Mbappe’s Drastic Physique Change Ahead of Return
Spanish reports claim he's lost between four and five kilograms
Affected by acute gastroentiritis – which usually manifests with vomiting, diarrhoea, and abdominal pain and thus leads to dehydration – just hours after arriving in Palm Beach with his Los Blancos teammates, the return of Mbappe is certainly nearby amid images of him back in the gym.
But, judging by the emerging photos, his typically muscular physique is looking a bit leaner as a result of his weight loss, caused by the nasty illness. In fact, according to Spanish outlet Marca via the Daily Mail, the striker has lost between four and five kilograms.
Pictures of the France captain getting back to full fitness have emerged, while Paris-born Mbappe, 26, also took to Instagram to tell the Santiago Bernabeu faithful that he is back in the gym, preparing for his highly-anticipated return to the pitch. The snap was simply captioned: “Back at it!”.
Keeping fans in the dark, Real Madrid released a statement the day after their 1-1 draw against Al-Hilal to clarify why the former Paris Saint-Germain talisman was absent. In doing so, they confirmed that he had visited hospital on Wednesday to undergo tests.
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The Spanish behemoths also added that he had returned to their team camp. On Friday, it was confirmed that Mbappe was back with his teammates in the hotel and that he was undertaking aerobic work after fighting a serious bout of stomach flu.
On Tuesday, Real Madrid boss Alonso – who is one of the best young football managers in the world – remained coy when being quizzed about the health of his goalscorer-in-chief. Keeping his cards close to his chest, per The Athletic, the Spanish tactician said:
“Kylian was feeling a bit better in the morning, but not good enough because it’s too hot. We’re going to wait for him until the last moment, we’ll decide tomorrow.”
In the French talisman’s place, youngster Gonzalo Garcia has started both games thus far – and the 21-year-old has largely impressed, even managing to score his side’s only goal in their opener. Against Pachuca, he also turned provider Arda Guler’s strike.