Mbappe plays down ankle scare as England sweat over Guehi ahead of World Cup quarter-finals

Kylian Mbappe moved to ease concerns over his fitness after being withdrawn during France’s 2-0 World Cup quarter-final victory over Morocco on Thursday, while England manager Thomas Tuchel faces a mounting defensive headache ahead of Saturday’s quarter-final against Norway.

Mbappe was caught by Morocco defender Issa Diop shortly after France took the lead, with Diop picking up a yellow card as the forward reacted in pain. Didier Deschamps opted to remove him in the 78th minute, bringing on Jean-Philippe Mateta as France extended their lead through Ousmane Dembele. Mbappe was pictured with ice strapped to his ankle on the bench but did not appear overly distressed, and he was quick to play down the issue afterwards.

“I have a minor ankle injury, but I’m completely fine,” Mbappe said. “Mateta was in a better position to play the remaining minutes of the match and was fitter at that moment. That’s all that happened.”

France have five days before their semi-final against either Spain or Belgium, giving Mbappe time to recover if the injury is as minor as he suggests.

England’s situation looks more precarious. Marc Guehi is now doubtful for the Norway quarter-final after picking up a knock, adding to a defensive crisis that has already seen Reece James miss three consecutive matches with a hamstring problem. James returned to training ahead of the Norway clash and will hope to feature, but his availability remains uncertain. Declan Rice has also been struck down with illness, further complicating Tuchel’s preparations.

Elsewhere, Belgium have been dealt a significant blow with Amadou Onana ruled out for the remainder of the tournament. The Aston Villa midfielder suffered a knee injury during Belgium’s last-16 win over the United States when his knee buckled as he twisted in the first half. Onana is also expected to miss a substantial portion of the upcoming club season.

Spain, who face France in the semi-finals, have been managing their own injury concerns in the wide positions since the group stage ended, with Yeremy Pino, Nico Williams, and Victor Munoz all sidelined.

Not all the injury news from this World Cup has been grim. Lamine Yamal returned to full fitness and has been a consistent presence for Spain throughout the tournament, while Neymar — despite arriving at what he has indicated will be his final World Cup carrying injury concerns — managed to get minutes on the pitch before Brazil were eliminated by Norway.