Kylian Mbappe messages Nordi Mukiele as he makes Sunderland injury promise
Kylian Mbappe has sent a message of support to Sunderland star Nordi Mukiele in the wake of his injury blow.
Mukiele swapped Paris Saint-Germain for Sunderland last summer for a fee worth up to £12million and so far he has proven to be a very worthwhile acquisition.
The defender, who can play at full-back and centre-back, has featured 27 times and scored one goal for Regis Le Bris‘ team this term.
But his afternoon was ended early on Sunday in Sunderland’s 3-1 defeat to Fulham after picking up a worrying-looking injury.
Mukiele wiped away his tears as he left the field in the 12th minute of the contest, and after he took to social media to make a defiant proclamation, ex-teammate and Real Madrid star Mbappe joined in with other well-wishers.
Nordi Mukiele sends defiant message after injury
The one-time France international tried to carry on after picking up the injury, but he was eventually unable to do so.
The home fans at the Stadium of Light applauded the former RB Leipzig man as he begrudgingly exited the pitch on what was a tough day for Sunderland as they dropped to 12th in the Premier League.
After the contest, Mukiele took to social media to say: “Doesn’t matter how long it takes… I promise you one thing: I will be back stronger.”
Among those to comment on the post were ex-PSG star Mbappe and old teammate Achraf Hakimi. The former posted six love hearts, and the latter put the palms up together emoji.
Incidentally, Sunderland fell to their worst defeat of the season at home after second-half goals from Raul Jimenez, who bagged a brace, and Alex Iwobi.
Enzo Le Fee’s penalty sparked hope of a comeback when he made it 2-1 but Fulham hit Sunderland, who have only lost twice at home this season, on the counter to claim all three points.
Will Sunderland get sucked into a relegation fight?
The defeat to Fulham signalled Sunderland’s fourth loss in their last five league games. While a win could take them as high as eighth if results go their way, their early-season form has dropped off.
Sunderland were the division’s surprise package in the first half of the campaign, but some of that positivity has dwindled in recent weeks.
They still hold a comfy 11-point cushion over 18th-placed West Ham, but if results continue to take a turn for the worse, Sunderland fans may be nervously looking over their shoulder.
| Sunderland’s poor Premier League run | |
| Sunderland 1-3 Fulham | |
| Sunderland 0-1 Liverpool | |
| Arsenal 3-0 Sunderland | |
| Sunderland 3-0 Burnley | |
| West Ham 3-1 Sunderland | |
| Sunderland 2-1 Crystal Palace | |
| Brentford 3-0 Sunderland |
Championship play-off winners Sunderland are very unlikely to go down, with one to two wins likely to guarantee their survival.
But with a mounting injury list, which includes Reinildo, Bertrand Traore, Dennis Cirkin, and now Mukiele, and a poor run of form, things are looking a bit bleak for the Black Cats right now.
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