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Didier Deschamps has called on Paris Saint-Germain head coach Christophe Galtier to let Kylian Mbappe “breathe a little bit” by resting the forward ahead of France’s World Cup bid.
Mbappe has started all nine of PSG’s Ligue 1 and Champions League matches this season, scoring 10 times.
The 23-year-old also played 90 minutes of France’s 2-0 Nations League win over Austria on Thursday when opening the scoring before Olivier Giroud killed off the contest.
PSG have 11 matches to play before France head to Qatar, but Deschamps is hoping Mbappe is not used in all of those games.
“I know [Galtier] still wants to play Kylian. But from time to time, he needs to be able to breathe a little bit,” Deschamps told Telefoot.
“He needs to play a few minutes less. It won’t hurt him – quite the contrary.”
Mbappe led the way for shots (seven), shots on target (three) and touches in the opposition box (10) against Austria, while no player created more chances (three).
After registering his 28th international goal in 58 caps, Mbappe admitted he felt “a lot more freedom” playing alongside fellow scorer Giroud than he does for club side PSG.
While Mbappe’s World Cup spot is all but guaranteed, Giroud faces uncertainty over his position in the squad once Karim Benzema is back from injury.
Asked if he plans on naming Giroud in his travelling party for the World Cup, Deschamps said: “If I knew that… All I know is he is doing everything he can to be there.”