Kylian Mbappe issues plea to France boss Didier Deschamps amid links to vacant Italy job - ‘That would be awful’

France arrive at the World Cup among the favourites, armed with a star-studded attack featuring Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise, Desire Doue, Rayan Cherki and captain Mbappe.

The World Cup also marks the end of an era for Les Bleus, with Deschamps set to call time on his 14-year reign as manager upon the conclusion of the tournament. 

While Deschamps, who guided France to World Cup glory in 2018, has remained coy about his long-term plans, there have been reports linking the 57-year-old to the vacant Italy job.

”The best way to honour him is to win [the World Cup],” Mbappe told M6 Info.

”Because he loves to win. So we're going to make sure he has the best World Cup ever, and hope it's his last.

"Because I hope he doesn't take charge of a World Cup again with another team. I'm putting pressure on him! I saw they were talking about Italy. That would be awful."

When asked about links between Deschamps and Argentina, Mbappe laughed and said: "No! It's coach Didier Deschamps, after all. 

"He means a lot to us. Quite a few national teams will want him, given the work he's done. Let the Italians take an Italian! Didier is French, he belongs to us.”

Former France midfielder Paul Pogba has insisted that the current iteration of Les Bleus is stronger than the team crowned world champions in Russia eight years ago.

Pogba was central to France’s second World Cup triumph, alongside the likes of Dembele, Mbappe and N'Golo Kante, who remain in the current France set-up.

Asked if the current France team were better than the 2018 side, Pogba told RMC Sport: "Yes. They have the best player in the German league (Olise), the best player in the French league (Dembele), and the top scorer in the Spanish league (Mbappe). 

"On paper, they're much stronger right now."

However, Pogba stressed that the off-field chemistry was just as important as the quality on the pitch. 

"I couldn't speak for the group, and that's very important in competitions like this," Pogba added.

"It's the group that makes the difference. They've shown they can play very well together too."

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