New Delhi, Oct. 9 -- Jose Mourinho has come out swinging for Kylian Mbappe, calling the fuss over a Paris nightclub visit and a Switzerland break "ridiculous" and confirming the France forward will start Real Madrid's La Liga clash with Villarreal at the Bernabeu. The manager used Friday's press conference to say the scrutiny had nothing to do with how his squad actually trained and recovered during the international break.

The striker picked up an injury on 25 September in his first game back with France. Criticism followed after he was photographed going into a venue in Paris and later spent time in Switzerland, where social-media clips showed him on a bicycle. Jose Mourinho had already told players to stay off bikes while they were re...