France captain Kylian Mbappé has pledged to step up his defensive work-rate as Les Bleus prepare to launch their World Cup campaign against Senegal on Tuesday.
The 27-year-old Real Madrid forward has recently found himself under intense scrutiny regarding his form and leadership for both club and country. However, teammate Ousmane Dembélé quickly rushed to his defense, publicly stating that the media backlash had gone “too far.”
In a candid feature with French newspaper Le Parisien, Mbappé fielded questions from close friends and teammates. When lightly mocked about his defensive tracking by his younger brother Ethan who currently plays for Ligue 1 outfit Lille the French superstar took the critique in stride and admitted there is room for improvement.
“I need to take the extra step [with my defensive work] because it’s something important for the team and I have to do it,” Mbappé confessed. “It will start this time because we want to win, and to win, I’m ready to do whatever because I want to win at all costs.”