Real Madrid has received bad news from France national team head coach Didier Deschamps regarding Kylian Mbappe.
After years of speculation and failed attempts to land him from either Monaco or Paris Saint-Germain, Mbappe has finally joined Los Blancos on a free transfer and was added to the squad on its official website at the turn of the week.
Before being presented at the Bernabeu, though, the 25-year-old has business to attend to for Les Bleus, who reached the quarterfinals of the Euros on Monday through beating Belgium 1-0 in the last 16.
A meeting with Madrid legend and his boyhood idol Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal now awaits, but it hasn't been the best tournament for the Ballon d'Or hopeful considering an injury he suffered in Frane's opening game against Poland.
In bad news for Madrid, Deschamps warned that Mbappe could have to use the item for some time.
"He will have to get used to the mask," the manager said following the Belgium win afforded by an own goal. "He will have to wear it for a few weeks, and he runs the risk of having to wear the mask for several months".
If that latter possibility comes to light, what is worrying here is the affect that Mbappe confessed the mask has on his ability to perform.
"Actually it's awful, horrible playing with a mask. I keep changing masks because every time there's something that bothers me, there's something that's not quite right," he said at a press conference.
"It's quite difficult to play with a mask because it limits your field of vision, your sweat clogs up."
"The first few days I felt like I was wearing 3D glasses. As soon as I can get rid of that mask, I will. But now I don't have a choice. I can't play without it. I hate it. It's really annoying and I've changed it more than five times," he added.
Neither this scenario nor Mbappe having to undergo surgery bode well for his first weeks at Madrid, which are usually tricky for most new signings in the best of times as they try to adapt to one of the world's biggest clubs.