France coach Didier Deschamps optimistic Kylian Mbappe will regain top form and score goals after returning to full fitness

Mbappe had a challenging start at Euro 2024 after sustaining a nose injury against Austria, but he showed resilience and eventually scored his first league goals for Madrid in his fourth game after transferring from Paris St Germain. Despite his initial struggles, French coach Deschamps remained confident in Mbappe's abilities, stating, "The French team will always be stronger with him and I’m convinced that in a month he will be better." Deschamps also reassured that he had no concerns about Mbappe's performance, acknowledging the high demands at his new club.

Mbappe was brought on in the 67th against Belgium and looked bright as he tried to add his name to the scoresheet, missing narrowly from a tight angle 10 minutes from time and having an effort saved in the 86th minute. Michael Olise and Manu Kone were handed their first caps against Italy while Lucas Digne played his first game for France in more than two years against Belgium, with Matteo Guendouzi also returning.

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Deschamps says he is using the Nations League as a platform to widen the pool of talent at his disposal and plans to continue down that path regardless of the results. "I'm sticking to my course, to put as many players as possible in situations where we can test them," he said. "It is the time to do that even if it you lose games. You don't replace players with 50 caps by snapping your fingers.

"I'm well aware that I am not putting the team in the best conditions," he said of the numerous changes to the line-up. "But we have to go through it. It gives us answers."