Real Madrid dealt Kylian Mbappe injury blow ahead of Intercontinental Cup final | OneFootball

Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappe has been diagnosed with a thigh injury and initial reports suggest that he could miss the FIFA Intercontinental Cup final next week.

Mbappe lasted just 35 minutes in Real Madrid's Champions League tie away to Atalanta on Tuesday night before limping off holding his hamstring. The Frenchman had been back to his devastating best during the opening exchanges, breaking the deadlock early with a crisp thump into the bottom corner.

Carlo Ancelotti was initially optimistic that Mbappe had avoided any serious damage, citing "overload" as the reason for his early departure. However, Madrid have released an official statement with a more severe diagnosis.

"Following tests carried out on Kylian Mbappe today by the Real Madrid medical department, the player has been diagnosed with a thigh injury in his left leg," the club said. "His progress will be monitored."

Kylian Mbappe could not finish Real Madrid's trip to Bergamo in midweek / Image Photo Agency/GettyImages

Initial reports from Spanish outlets Marca and AS, which have been backed up by ESPN, claim that an injury of this severity invariably leads to a layoff of around ten days. This would categorically rule Mbappe out of Saturday's trip to Rayo Vallecano in La Liga.

Madrid are then scheduled to compete in the Intercontinental Cup final on Wednesday 18 December. The successor to the previous iteration of the FIFA Club World Cup is being staged in Qatar and will pit the Spanish giants against either Egypt's Al Ahly or Pachuca from Mexico after the latter pulled off a shock win over newly crowned South American champions Botafogo on Wednesday.

Mbappe's involvement in this showpiece fixture has been described as "almost impossible" by reports. If the Frenchman - who infamously scored a hat-trick at Qatar's Lusail Stadium in the 2022 World Cup final - does return to that favourable setting, he will only be available off the bench.