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• Mbappe free to do what he wants, says Deschamps after nightclub controversy

  France manager Didier Deschamps believes Kylian Mbappe should be allowed to do what he wants, playing down rumours of a rift between the two.

  The comments came after Mbappe was spotted in a nightclub in Sweden on Thursday, the same night France beat Israel 4-1, having been left out of the squad by Deschamps to recover from an injury.

  Mbappe had suffered a muscle injury with Real Madrid last month and was given the international break to rest by the France manager. 

  But Deschamps was both unconcerned and unaware of the striker's excursion.

  "I don't follow the news of players who are not here," he said. "Kylian is following a programme with Real Madrid. I don't know if he was away or not."

  The controversy stems from rumours that Mbappe had asked Deschamps to only play him in 'important' international matches, as he prioritises winning the Ballon d'Or.

  Given that Mbappe had returned from injury for Real Madrid, coming off the bench against Lille in the Champions League earlier this month and starting the 2-0 victory over Villarreal in LaLiga a few days later, the decision to leave Mbappe out raised questions.

  Deschamps, though, was quick to give a logical explanation for the absence of their biggest player, who is just nine goals behind Olivier Giroud (57) as France's all-time top scorer.

  "Like any player for his club, he follows a programme. If players have days off, they are free to do what they want," added Deschamps.

  France face Belgium on Monday without Mbappe, having beaten them 2-0 at home in the reverse fixture last month.

  The striker only made a 23-minute cameo off the bench in that game, though he had the joint-most shots in the game (four) and the second-most touches in the box (five) among his team-mates.

  Deschamps' side are, in fact, unbeaten in their last five matches without their captain in the starting XI. They are a point behind group-leaders Italy at the halfway point.

• Carsley 'definitely not' ruling himself out of permanent England job

  Interim England manager Lee Carsley is adamant that he has not ruled himself out of the job on a permanent basis after hinting that he was not yet the world-class coach needed.

  England responded to their shock 2-1 defeat at home to Greece on Thursday with a 3-1 victory in Finland on Sunday.

  While the Three Lions were still not at their brilliant best, it was a marked improvement on their last match. However, conversation was dominated by Carsley's future and questions over who will take the role after the match.

  "Definitely not," Carsley said after being asked in the post-match press conference whether he felt it was too soon for him to become the senior manager. 

  "I tried to make it as clear as I could. My remit was for three camps. The point I was trying to make is it is one of the top jobs in the world.

  "I'm not part of the process, but it deserves a top coach. The players we have available, we've got a real chance of winning. That was the point I was making."

  Plenty had assumed that the 50-year-old's comments about still being on the path to becoming a world-class coach were effectively him putting himself out of the running for the job.

  Among a volley of questions about the future of the job, he was asked directly if that was an incorrect conclusion to draw from those remarks.

  "Yeah, definitely. Like I say, it's important that I do the best that I can," he said.

  "It's a privilege to do this job. I feel well trusted, it's a great job and, you know, whoever gets it will be fully deserving."

  Regardless of his comments in Helsinki though, Carsley does have a track record of being non-committal when asked about the potential of getting the job permanently.

  That is, according to him, because he has been deliberately trying to keep an open mind about things after learning from previous experiences.

  "I'm definitely reluctant [to say whether I want the job] because in the past, when I've done this caretaker/interim role, I've gone so far down the 'I don’t want the job' [route] that I've actually not done the job," he said.

  "One of the things I spoke about when I was asked to take temporary charge is that it's important I keep an open mind because in that case, I’m not being reckless with my decisions.

  "I'm thinking thoroughly about how the team should play, the squad I should pick, which is a challenge because squad selection is very difficult.

  "The amount of players we have to leave out and what we've got available for us, and I've got another camp to do. It's just a shame we can't play Greece next week."

  England's away game in Greece will be their most important in deciding their Nations League fate, with their upcoming hosts top of the group with a three-point buffer to second.

  Carsley's side will need to win and then better Greece's result at Wembley if they are to have any chance of returning to the top division in the competition. But the interim manager was ultimately pleased with what he saw on Sunday.

  "We won the game, scored three good goals," he added. "It was a shame we couldn't keep a clean sheet.

  "I still don't know the players that well yet in terms of the way the team reacts to a defeat and a setback, so I was thrilled with the way they responded."

• Mbappe needs time to adapt in Madrid, says Kempes

  Kylian Mbappe must be afforded time to understand his new Real Madrid role, with differing challenges posed compared to his success with France and Paris Saint-Germain.

  Former Argentina international Mario Kempes believes Mbappe will not have faced an experience like the pressure that comes with playing with Madrid.

  The France captain has still managed seven goals in just 11 appearances to start his Los Blancos career, including finding the net five times in eight LaLiga appearances.

  Yet Kempes, a 43-cap Argentina international, says Mbappe will have to adapt after what he sees as easier challenges when playing for France and Ligue 1 giants PSG.

  "I can't talk about being a number nine, because I've never been one. I think it's all a matter of getting used to it, because Mbappe isn't going to come in and score 40 goals," Kempes told Stats Perform at Festival dello Sport in Trento, Italy.

  "It's different to play in France or in the national team, it's nothing like playing in Madrid. At Madrid, you have to play 11 players or more every game and sometimes the ball doesn't go in or hits the post."

  Mbappe scored 27 times in 29 league appearances for PSG last term, as well as eight goals in 12 Champions League outings.

  He has taken to life in Spain with ease, too, also managing five LaLiga goals in September – a tally no player could better last month across Europe's top five leagues.

  The 25-year-old has since opted to sit out of France's October internationals with Israel and Belgium, despite declaring himself fit to play for Carlo Ancelotti's side.

  That has caused backlash from some supporters in France and former players after Mbappe made his focus clear on his intentions with Madrid, and his sights on a first Ballon d'Or.

  His success with Madrid will be dictated by the relationship with his team-mates, says Kempes, who expects Mbappe to need time to impress in the Spanish capital.

  "You also have to get to know your team-mates," Kempes added. "They are young and have a lot of desire and are very good, you also have to get to know each other on the pitch.

  "There is still a long way to go."

  Mbappe and Madrid return to domestic action on Saturday when they visit Celta Vigo.