Kylian Mbappé will miss Real Madrid's decisive Group H game at the Club World Cup against RB Salzburg as he continues his recovery from acute gastroenteritis
The France forward returned to training with this teammates on Wednesday but was not named in Madrid's squad for Thursday's match in Philadelphia.
"I was happy to see him on the pitch, but he isn't recovered enough," Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso said. "He's still a bit weak to be able to play tomorrow with the competitive level we'll need. We spoke, and he preferred to stay behind and keep recovering, so that if we go through to the last 16, he'll be available. He's still recovering."
Mbappé was briefly admitted to a Miami-area hospital last week and did not travel to Charlotte, North Carolina, missing Madrid's first two games, a 1-1 draw against Al Hilal and a 3-1 victory against Pachuca.
Madrid top Group H with four points, ahead of RB Salzburg on goal difference with Al Hilal, who can still qualify for the knockout phase, on two.
In Mbappé's absence, forward Gonzalo García, 21, started in Miami, scoring Madrid's goal in the 34th minute, before Rúben Neves levelled for Al Hilal from the penalty spot.
Information from Reuters was used in this report.
