Thomas Tuchel Says Kylian Mbappe Row Won't Make Him Leave PSG

Paris Saint-Germain boss Thomas Tuchel has played down his confrontation with Kylian Mbappe in the club's 5-0 win over Montpellier on Saturday.

Mbappe reacted unhappily to being substituted in the 68th minute at the Parc des Princes, and the pair exchanged words as he came off the pitch.

Per AS' Andres Onrubia, Tuchel said in a press conference on Monday:

"There is nothing personal between Mbappe and I. I know he doesn't want to be subbed off. It's normal, but I also want to give minutes to those on the bench.

"I don't think what happened on Saturday will make Mbappe leave the club. He is our player and he has a contract.

"I am sure that the dressing room understands my decisions. The game was over. We were winning 5-0. Fear? I don't make my decisions with fear."

Tuchel added: "If I wanted to be a politician, I would have worked in politics." 

Mbappe and Tuchel had a heated discussion by the touchline after the coach had swapped him for Mauro Icardi, and the German had to hold on to the player to stop him walking away:

The 21-year-old continued to look unhappy after he made it to the bench:

The youngster had not been withdrawn because of a poor performance. Shortly before he made way for Icardi, Mbappe had got on the scoresheet after being slipped through by Neymar:

Mbappe has 22 goals and 13 assists to his name in 25 appearances this season, so it's little wonder he's hungry to continue adding to those tallies.

However, with the game won, it was the ideal opportunity for Tuchel to give him a rest and keep him fresh for the fixtures to come.

PSG, who are 12 points clear in Ligue 1, still have seven more matches to play in February, including the all-important first leg of the UEFA Champions League last-16 tie with Borussia Dortmund.

The Parisians have gone out of the competition at this stage in each of the last three seasons.

They crashed out at the hands of Real Madrid in 2017-18 after Neymar got injured between the two legs, while last season, Neymar and Edinson Cavani were unable to start either leg. It's imperative PSG do whatever they can to keep their stars fit this time around, even if it means making an unpopular decision.