​Having been granted a day off following their World Cup quarter-final victory over Morocco, the French team returned to training on Saturday afternoon at their base camp on the western outskirts of Boston. Kylian Mbappé, who departed with an ankle knock near the end of Thursday’s match, was observed warming up and training as usual. The captain, who netted the opening goal against the Atlas Lions around the 60th minute, spoke to reporters in the mixed zone after the game and downplayed the concern over the knock. Aurélien Tchouaméni, who missed the quarter-final due to a thigh injury, was back out on the pitch with his teammates.
Two players were conspicuously absent from the session: the starting centre-back pairing for France. William Saliba has been troubled by a back issue throughout the tournament and has already sat out several training sessions as the staff aim to preserve him for matchdays. Dayot Upamecano was also held out, with L’Équipe reporting that the Bayern Munich defender is being managed for load issues and has been dealing with foot pain. Despite these hiccups, both players are still expected to be fit in time for the upcoming clash against Spain.
The squad will hold another training session on Sunday morning before boarding a flight to Dallas in the afternoon. The team’s preparations are moving ahead as they plot their route to the next stage of the tournament, with the emphasis on maintaining fitness and readiness for the high-stakes confrontation that lies ahead.
GFFN | Raphaël Jucobin – reporting from France’s base camp at Bentley University to enhance SEO coverage.