Luis Enrique denied he was punishing Kylian Mbappe by subbing him at half-time at Monaco, as he reacted to the Paris Saint-Germain star's behaviour.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Mbappe subbed at half-timeEnrique denied trying to punish himPSG drew 0-0 with Mbappe in the standsWHAT HAPPENED?
The Spanish coach had withdrawn Mbappe at half-time, replacing him with Randal Kolo Muani, in the second successive game the French star had been substituted with the scores level. Following his substitution, Mbappe was then seen out of his kit and sat relaxing in the stands instead of alongside his team-mates on the bench. Luis Enrique denied there was a rift between himself and Mbappe after the game.
Advertisement(C)Getty imagesWHAT ENRIQUE SAID
After the game, the coach told reporters: “Is this a punishment for Mbappe? My answer is the one I gave. Sooner or later, we have to that we get used to playing without him. It’s my philosophy to think about what's best for the team. I don’t want to argue. It’s my decision.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Substituting Mbappe early in a game once is considered surprising, let alone twice, so it naturally raised eyebrows when that decision was made. With Mbappe set to leave PSG to join Real Madrid in the summer, it is understandable that Luis Enrique may only want players that are 100 percent committed to the team playing for his side – whether that can be deemed as a punishment or not is ambiguous.
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR ENRIQUE?
Like the coach said, he has to prepare his team to be able to play without Mbappe. The loss of one of the world's best players would impact any club, and PSG have to be ready to replace the Frenchman with either existing players or via the transfer market. Either way, Mbappe won't be there.