The Spanish newspaper "AS" revealed that French star Kylian Mbappé will not participate in the Spanish Super Cup matches in Saudi Arabia due to a knee injury.

According to the newspaper, the attempt to speed up the recovery was "impossible," which led the royal club to decide not to have the player fully participate in the tournament for fear of a relapse that would keep him away from the team for a longer period.

Mbappé was already ruled out of the semifinal, but the knee joint sprain led the medical team to opt for conservative treatment aimed at ensuring the player's full recovery before returning to matches, without risking further injury, especially given the pressures the player has been under in recent weeks.

The French star has been struggling with this injury since December 7 during the match against Celta Vigo. He participated in some games afterward despite not being fully fit, which led the medical staff to exercise caution this time.

Mbappé's absence comes at a busy time for the Royal team, which faces seven matches in 20 days, including the Spanish Super Cup semi-final and possibly the final, as well as La Liga and Copa del Rey matches.

In these circumstances, Gonzalo Garcia emerges as a ready substitute to compensate for the absence of the team's top scorer, having proven his ability to lead the attack after his hat-trick against Betis.