Mbappe pleased to be back with France ahead of Nations League clash

Kylian Mbappe is relishing his return to the France squad as he prepares to earn his first international cap in six months in the Nations League quarter-final against Croatia.

"I feel good, I feel happy to be playing football, I feel happy to be here," the France captain said during a press conference in Split on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old missed two matches in October due to injury and sat out another two in November when Didier Deschamps opted to rest him as he adjusted to life at Real Madrid. Ahead of Thursday's first-leg tie, Mbappe expressed his excitement at being back with his teammates.

"Most of the team-mates here, we talk pretty much all the time. I even go on holiday with some of them. It's a pleasure to be here. The situation may have seemed unclear from the outside, but internally, it was always clear," he said.

Mbappe completed his long-anticipated move to Real Madrid last summer but struggled to hit his best form early on. Reflecting on a challenging few months, he acknowledged he could have performed better.

"A career is not linear. You have to refocus on what makes you happy and get back to work. If I had to do things differently? I would have played better," he admitted.

The 2018 World Cup winner was also caught up in controversy last autumn when Swedish media linked his name to a rape investigation. However, the case was closed in December without any prosecutions.

France face Croatia in Split on Thursday before the return leg at the Stade de France in Paris three days later.