Mbappe turns 21 and PSG boss Tuchel expects great things

Kylian Mbappe will continue to develop if he steers clear of injuries, according to Paris Saint-Germain head coach Thomas Tuchel.

The France international scored for a sixth successive match in PSG’s 4-1 Coupe de la Ligue win at Le Mans on Wednesday – the best such run of his career.

He has spent time on the sidelines this season with hamstring and other niggling issues, but Tuchel is hopeful the young striker, who turned 21 on Friday, can stay free of injury in 2020.

“Being without injuries is the best thing for him,” Tuchel said at Friday’s pre-match news conference.

21 – Kylian Mbappé at 21:

108 games in Ligue 1 – 71 goals / 28 assists

30 games in the Champions League – 19 / 11

13 games in the Coupe de France – 8 / 9

7 games in the World Cup – 4

HappyBirthday. pic.twitter.com/xYPM7PcJJ2

— OptaJean (@OptaJean) December 20, 2019

“He will grow and improve in physical capacity. He is a force for us, there is no doubt about that.”

Mbappe has already scored 90 Ligue 1 and Champions League goals.

The former Monaco star’s workload could increase next year as he is considering representing France in the Olympics, something Tuchel will leave him to discuss with sporting director Leonardo.

“We talked about this topic a few months ago,” Tuchel said. “He has to talk about it with Leonardo. It is not between me and Kylian.”