Jean-Philippe Mateta seemed a little frustrated at Crystal Palace on Saturday.
The Frenchman was taken off at the interval by Oliver Glasner in place of Ismaila Sarr during the 0-0 draw against Manchester United at Selhurst Park, and looked quite annoyed when Sky Sports cameras panned towards him sitting on the bench.
It was a stark contrast to Mateta’s encouraging actions from the bench during the 1-1 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Now, however, news coming from Real Madrid could lift Jean-Philippe Mateta‘s spirits a bit at Crystal Palace…
How Jean-Philippe Mateta could be impacted by Kylian Mbappe injury at Real Madrid
The Spanish giants have just announced that Kylian Mbappe will be sidelined for the upcoming weeks after being “diagnosed with an injury to the biceps femoris in his left leg” – as their official statement reads.
So, how could this impact Mateta?
Crucially, France take on Israel and Belgium in the UEFA Nations League soon, with those clashes coming on Thursday 10th October and Monday 14th October.
Real Madrid are unlikely to want Mbappe risked in these fixtures, while Didier Deschamps has also lost Olivier Giroud to international retirement, so Mateta could well realise his dream of playing for France in the upcoming UEFA Nations League games.
Of course, nobody is suggesting that the 27-year-old will be pleased to see the Real Madrid No.9 hurt, although he may now be sensing an opportunity to shine in his absence.The Crystal Palace No.14 is desperate to represent his country as a full international, telling BBC Sport in May: “It’s in my head. When I’m training, when I’m waking up. It’s just about performing with Palace and one day Didier Deschamps, if he can think about me, I can help him to do whatever.”
Crystal Palace No.14 deserves a chance
It would be quite cruel if Mateta – who suggested he wanted to leave Crystal Palace during the summer – is ignored by France once again.
A good word has surely been put in by Thierry Henry, who was Head Coach for France U23 at the Olympic Games during the summer as Mateta scored five goals in six games after being selected as an overage player, helping to secure a silver medal.Of course, Deschamps still has the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Marcus Thuram and Randal Kolo Muani to choose from, but after netting 23 goals in 33 appearances throughout 2024 so far, Mateta surely deserves a chance.
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