DUESSELDORF, June 18 — Kylian Mbappe’s chances of playing for France against the Netherlands at the European Championship remain unclear, but if he does make it to the pitch in Leipzig, he will wear a protective mask after breaking his nose yesterday.

France’s captain suffered the fracture late in the Group D clash with Austria in Duesseldorf yesterday, after jumping for a header and colliding with the shoulder of defender Kevin Danso.

Mbappe was taken to hospital but the French federation said he did not require immediate surgery and will get a mask, prompting social media banter with France rugby skipper Antoine Dupont.

Dupont had surgery after fracturing a cheek bone in the early stages of last year’s Rugby World Cup in France — a more serious injury that Mbappe’s nasal septum fracture — but the scrumhalf was back training within a fortnight and returned to play in the World Cup quarter-final.

He had a specially fitted mask made but in the end wore only a scrum cap in his return match.

"Any ideas for a mask?,” Mbappe tweeted Dupont on X yesterday.

"Private message me for a promo code. I have some solutions. Above all, good luck,” Dupont replied.

Mbappe’s obvious replacement would be 37-year-old Olivier Giroud. He suffered an adductor injury in the Austria match, French media reported, but should resume training tomorrow. — Reuters