Kylian Mbappe denies feud with Luis Enrique and insists his relationship with the PSG boss is ‘good’… but admits he has ‘many issues’ with the Ligue 1 giants
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Kylian Mbappe insisted he has ‘no problems’ with Luis Enrique after playing a full 90 minutes for Paris Saint-Germain for the first time in almost a month on Tuesday evening.
The French superstar scored both goals in PSG’s 2-1 away win against Real Sociedad as the Ligue 1 giants progressed to the Champions League quarter-finals as 4-1 winners on aggregate.
The victory in San Sebastian marked the first time since February 14 that Mbappe has played an entire match for PSG.
The France captain was subbed off at half-time during PSG’s goalless draw against his former club Monaco on Friday, after coming on after 65 minutes of the draw against Rennes a week earlier.
Mbappe, who scored either side of half-time on Tuesday evening, also came off the bench in a 2-0 win over Nantes last month.
Kylian Mbappe insisted he has ‘no problems’ with PSG boss Luis Enrique
The pair shared a hug after Mbappe scored twice in PSG’s 2-1 win over Real Sociedad
The 25-year-old informed the Ligue 1 club last month that he would leave them as a free agent at the end of the season to join Real Madrid.
However, he insisted the decision was not motivated by a rift with Luis Enrique, with whom he shared a full-time hug.
‘I always want to play in the Champions League, it is a very important competition. “I could never be a player who hides,” he told French broadcaster Canal Plus on Tuesday.
‘My relationship with the coach is good. There is no problem, even if people think there is. I have a lot of problems, but the coach is not one of them.’
Asked about Mbappe’s substitutions in recent matches, manager Luis Enrique told Canal Plus: ‘Kylian will score 50 goals and provide 25 assists for any coach, for any team.
‘Apparently his immediate future is not there, so we will have to test other solutions.’
Luis Enrique has insisted that his decision to bench Mbappe for the past two Ligue 1 games was not a form of punishment but stemmed from him not being fully fit.
According to ESPN, the duo reportedly had clear discussions after Mbappe, who has scored 34 goals in 34 games this season, was substituted early in his past two games.
The striker was unhappy at being sent off and asked to speak to the manager to discuss the matter amid tensions between the pair.
Luis Enrique reportedly told the attacker that it was not personal and had nothing to do with his decision to leave the Parc des Princes. Instead, he believed Mbappe was not fully fit and wanted to save him for upcoming matches of greater importance.
But ESPN said the feeling in the player’s camp is that he is being punished for wanting to leave.
Despite dropping four points in their last two games, PSG remains 12 points clear of Brest at the top of Ligue 1.
