Kylian Mbappe taken to hospital as Real Madrid release statement | Football | Sport

Kylian Mbappe has been taken to hospital as he’s suffering from acute gastroenteritis. The 26-year-old missed Real Madrid’s opening match of the Club World Cup on Wednesday as his side were held to a 1-1 draw by Al-Hilal.

Mbappe is part of a Real squad aiming to win the new-look Club World Cup, which got underway on Sunday. The Spanish giants have been drawn in Group H alongside Al-Hilal, Pachuca and RB Salzburg but were unable to get the better of their first opponents at the Hard Rock Stadium as Ruben Neves cancelled out a strike from Gonzalo Garcia. The result left Madrid second in the Group H standings after the opening round of matches.

Following Mbappe’s absence, Real released a statement on their website that read: “Our player Kylian Mbappe has acute gastroenteritis and has been hospitalised for various tests and treatment.”

Real boss Xabi Alonso had been asked about Mbappe following his team’s first match of the tournament. And the former Liverpool midfielder said: “He wasn’t doing well in the last two days. He’s sick.”

Alonso then explained: “We don’t know [if Mbappe will be fit to face Pachuca on Sunday]. We have to see how he recovers. He hasn’t been able to train in the last few days. He’s been in rough shape with a virus, so we have to keep an eye on him.”

Mbappe joined Real Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain last summer following a six-year spell in the French capital.

The 2018 World Cup winner enjoyed an incredible maiden campaign in Spain as he bagged 43 goals in 56 appearances in all competitions.

He won the Golden Boot in La Liga after finding the back of the net 31 times in the Spanish top-flight, with Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski the second highest scorer after netting 27 league goals.

Alonso will be desperate to have his star man back as soon as possible, with the matches coming thick and fast in North America.

And discussing his side’s first performance in the USA, the 43-year-old added: “The difference between the first and the second half was the balance with the ball.

“We were more sure of ourselves with the ball in the second half, we had longer spells of possession, played a bit closer to them. We couldn’t keep hold of the ball in the first half and they took advantage of that, it drove them on.

“It was a tough day to go and press today. After the break, as we grew into the game offensively, we looked better. It wasn’t enough, but it was an improvement.”