Adrien Rabiot rejects Kylian Mbappe theory ahead of France's showdown vs England

Adrien Rabiot insists France are not over-reliant on Kylian Mbappe - and have other weapons to defeat England.

Mbappe, France's star player, is leading the race for the Golden Boot in Qatar, with five goals from four matches. The 23-year-old superstar is recognised as the best player on the planet, but France team-mate Rabiot denied the suggestion Didier Deschamps' side rely too heavily on him.

"We take it as a positive to have him," said Rabiot. "He is completely focused on scoring and we do everything we can to help him. We are not dependent on him. He has amazing potential and maybe 90 percent he is able to use speed and assist.

"We have other players who can make a difference in another way. But Kylian is a great weapon and not going to deprive ourselves of that, for sure."

Juventus midfielder Rabiot refused to go on the France standby list at the World Cup four years ago, risking his France future with the snub. But the 27-year-old was brought back into the fold by Deschamps two years ago and is now a key part of the France side, and will start against England.

"I said before, not very long ago, that in 2018 my relationship with the coach never stopped," said Rabiot. "Maybe there were two years with no contact at all. I came back in 2020 and immediately talked about it.

"Everything went really well. True, I didnt know what to expect at the beginning, but we had a great connection immediately.

"The relationship improved day after day and now we understand each other, he understands my personality and today we are a lot closer. At the moment I'm going through a great period, playing well for Juventus and playing at the World Cup. It comes from the fact I am a bit more mature. I would say without a doubt it's the best period of my career."

Meanwhile, fears over Mbappe's fitness were put to bed with Ibrahima Konate confirming it was always the plan for him to sit out of the team session on Tuesday. The Paris Saint-Germain superstar was not present as France stepped up their preparations in front of assembled press. However, it has been subsequently revealed that his rest day had been in the works for some time.

"He was just resting yesterday. He had a different kind of training session to do," Liverpool and France defender Konate confirmed. "There was nothing worrying about that. Nothing surprising either."

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