Kylian Mbappe praises ‘dangerous’ Manchester United star and sends clear warning

Kylian Mbappe is preparing to face Portugal with France as the two teams play for a spot in the Euro 2024 semi-finals.

The new Real Madrid star is certainly keen to get a European Championships on his CV after winning the 2018 World Cup, but his team has a stern test on Friday evening.

Portugal were one of the standout teams in the qualifiers for the tournament, and while they have not quite performed to their expected levels so far, there are many players to watch out for.

The headlines will be surrounding Mbappe and Cristiano Ronaldo, the two superstars of each team.

“It’s an honour to play against him,” the Frenchman told reporters. “Everyone knows how much I admire Cristiano. We still keep in touch, he always tries to give me advice, which is good.”

However, Mbappe has warned France that they could ‘pay dearly’ by focusing on one player and highlighted the potential impact of several Portugal stars, including Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes.

“When you play against a team like Portugal, it’s dangerous to focus on one player because they are good in every position. We usually talk about Cristiano Ronaldo, but he is far from alone.

“Rafael Leão is a danger, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, my former teammates at PSG… they are all dangerous.

“We shouldn’t focus on one player. When you ignore great players, you usually pay dearly.”

Fernandes, 29, scored against Turkey in the group stages and had an excellent qualifying campaign. He also took a high-pressure penalty during the shootout win against Slovenia earlier this week.

The game between France and Portugal kicks off at 20:00 BST on Friday, 5 June. Those in the United Kingdom can watch it on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

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