Benching Mbappe a club decision, says Monaco boss Jardim

Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim says leaving Kylian Mbappe on the bench for the victory over Dijon was “a club decision”.

The 18-year-old was an unused substitute for the champions’ 4-1 victory on Sunday that saw them keep up their winning start to the Ligue 1 season.

Mbappe picked up an injury in last week’s 3-2 win over Toulouse and was not risked during the routine triumph at Stade Gaston Gerard, in which Radamel Falcao scored a hat-trick and Jemerson was also on target.

However, his exclusion from the side has encouraged further speculation over his future, with Paris Saint-Germain reportedly close to striking a deal to take him to Parc des Princes.

But Jardim insists it was important to give fringe players a chance to earn some game time before the Champions League group stages begin in September.

“It’s a club decision not to have him start the game,” Jardim told a news conference.

“In the end, the game went smoothly and I gave the opportunity to other players to help make the building of the team more effective.

“In the coming months, with the Champions League, we’ll need everyone. We have to give rhythm to those who aren’t often used.”

14 – Monaco have won their last 14 games in Ligue 1, the joint-best run in the French top-flight alongside Bordeaux in 2009. Invincible. pic.twitter.com/ecaQrZGiy5

— OptaJean (@OptaJean) August 13, 2017