Ex-Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino has quashed rumours that Kylian Mbappe was difficult to manage during his time with the French club.
Question marks over Mbappe attitudeSupposedly calls the shots at PSGPochettino still out of work
WHAT HAPPENED? The Argentine only lasted 18 months in charge of the Ligue 1 side before being sacked last summer. Pochettino may have helped lead PSG to a league title but his time in France was clouded by talk of a strained relationship with key players such as Mbappe.
WHAT THEY SAID: Despite this speculation, while speaking to BBC Sport ahead of the France last-16 match against Poland, Pochettino said Mbappe wasn’t as difficult to manage as some make out.
He said: “But the problem is, sometimes you need to manage yourself because we are talking about a top three, top five best player in the world and it’s not easy for him to manage himself because he’s not mature enough, still he’s a child. But I think he’s doing well. Sometimes people talk too much but I think it’s not like this.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Mbappe signed a new contract in May but already there is talk that he could be pushing for a move in the January transfer market due to unhappiness over broken promises regarding player recruitment.
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WHAT NEXT FOR MBAPPE? For now, the Frenchman will be entirely focused on the events of the World Cup, where he is currently the joint-leader in the Golden Boot race with three goals to his name.
