Even though Kylian Mbappé is likely to be back for the game against Villarreal, Jose Mourinho might still not take the risk to start him in that match, according to Jose Felix Diaz. Mbappé was minutes away from suffering a really difficult injury to manage, according to the report.
If he had played on with that injury, it could have ended really badly for the Frenchman. Hyperextension of the knee is no joke. It usually takes a few weeks to recover from, but if it gets aggravated, or worse, it can take a long time for the player to fully come back from it.
That is why Mourinho thinks it might be best for Mbappé to ease himself into action, because no one can afford to lose a player like him for a few more weeks. Villarreal will be a very difficult game, but Real Madrid can probably manage if they have most of their other superstars in good form.
Kylian Mbappe is needed against Barcelona more than he is against Villarreal
Mbappé would be crucial in that game because of his danger with the ball, but if Mourinho can get away with a win by playing Endrick or Carlos Espí into the top, he would rather do that than risk Mbappé aggravating his injury.
It remains to be seen what happens in that match, because if Real Madrid face a few more injuries, it might make it difficult for Mourinho to continue to rest his best player when some of the others are also suffering from injuries. At the moment, it seems like a good idea, even if the game becomes difficult, that Mbappé starts from the bench.
If he truly feels as good as new, he can come off the bench and play the last 15 to 20 minutes to ease himself into the match, and then start the game after that.
A player like Mbappé doesn't really need too many minutes to get back to his usual best, which is exactly why Mourinho needs to manage his minutes as well as he possibly can. If, for whatever reason, Mbappé starts against Villarreal and ends up being forced to be out for even longer, that would be detrimental to Real Madrid's season because just a few weeks later, Los Blancos play Barcelona at the Camp Nou, which could already be a title decider.
If Real Madrid lose that game, they will go nine points behind Barcelona, and that is only if they win every single game leading up to the Clásico. It is fair to say that Mbappé is needed more so in the game against Barcelona than he is in the game against Villarreal, which is why it makes perfect sense to rest him and trust the other players that Mourinho has at his disposal.
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