Former French international Jean-Pierre Papin singled out Kylian Mbappe’s proven prowess as to why there should not be a concern over the forward’s slow start to the Euro 2020 tournament.
Many projected Mbappe to put out dominant showings over the Euro 2020 group stage, especially as he was going up against Germany and Portugal.
This was not the case as Mbappe failed to record a single goal contribution over France’s Euro 2020 group stage run, although Les Bleus still managed to top Group F in the end.
Papin is not among those criticizing Mbappe for his slow start to the Euros.
In speaking to L’Equipe, Papin noted that when it comes to Mbappe, there should not be any major concern when he has a mini-run of lethargic performances.
“Any striker will tell you that there is frustration when there are no goals,” Papin said. “But I think that in a tournament like the Euro, you have to get over that. And I think Kylian is capable of doing it. He is aware that the important thing is that the team wins.
“For his ego, yes, it is frustrating. But the question is what? Can we win the Euro? They have seven games to do it. Kylian knows it. He is a young player who will gain in regularity with time.
“I find it terrible to judge him only on his goals. I’m not worried about him at all. I know it’s going to come.”
Mbappe and the France national team will take on Switzerland up next in the Euro 2020 Round of 16, which should provide the Paris Saint-Germain forward with another major test in this tournament.
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