José Mourinho has called criticism of Kylian Mbappé "ridiculous," defending the Real Madrid star's conduct during the international break, and confirming that the forward will start in Saturday's LaLiga game with Villarreal.
Mbappé picked up an injury in his first game on duty with France on Sept. 25, and then drew criticism for trips to Paris and Switzerland during his recovery, including posting video of himself riding a bike on social media, despite Mourinho's citing of cycling as an example of an activity which footballers shouldn't undertake.
Madrid go into Saturday's game at the Bernabéu six points behind leaders Barcelona in the table, with a demanding October fixture list culminating in El Clásico at Camp Nou on Oct. 25.
"It's ridiculous," Mourinho said in a news conference on Friday, when asked if criticism of Mbappé's behaviour was exaggerated. "I thought there were enough real 'cases' in the football world in the last few weeks, but it seems like they weren't enough.
"There are giant cases like the [Manchester City] one, like the old story you don't like to talk about [Negreira], like the difficult situation in my country with Cristiano Ronaldo and his coach. But it hasn't been enough. Real Madrid is Real Madrid. I thought the first question might be about real things, a difficult game... But here we are."
Mbappé has delivered in terms of goalscoring in his two seasons in Madrid -- and is among the candidates for the Ballon d'Or after his World Cup performance for France this summer -- but hasn't managed to land a major trophy with his club.
His travel during the international break, which saw him photographed entering a Paris nightclub and then on holiday in Switzerland, followed a similar incident late last season when he was pictured on holiday on a yacht -- while recovering from injury -- as his teammates continued to fight for the title.
"I don't lie. The truth is that in this period, Real Madrid's players have been exemplary in their professional situation," Mourinho said. "Those who were injured came straight to Valdebebas, got their diagnosis, and got their rehab plan.
"Mbappé was here, he got his diagnosis, he went to an external consultant -- because his knee has a history that you can't forget -- and there was total agreement with Real Madrid's diagnosis and this external consultant. In terms of his recovery, you don't have to know all the details. But then we get into the area of looking for problems.
"[In Paris] it was a club that wasn't a club," Mourinho said, defending Mbappé. "It was a club that had been transformed for a private event. Then in Switzerland, it was just a hotel, with little houses, and each house had some bikes to get to where the restaurants and spa was. It was absolute tranquility."
The coach suggested there was a coordinated campaign, involving elements in the media, to have fans whistle Mbappé during the Villarreal game.
"You don't have to be Einstein to see that this is the objective," Mourinho said. "I hope the Bernabeu can be fair, and that means being intelligent, being able to read between the lines.
"One thing I promise is that when a Real Madrid player doesn't behave like a Real Madrid player, they won't see that player on the bench. They won't have the chance to whistle, because they'll be at home.
"So tomorrow Mbappé will play. He won't be on the bench, and if he plays, it's because I'm sure that he hasn't failed Real Madrid. He hasn't failed to fulfil his obligations."
Mourinho did admit that Vinícius Júnior hasn't reached his best form so far this season, and said he was "hurt" by fan criticism of the player.
"What makes me feel bad, and sad, is understanding that he [Vinícius] wants to be right," Mourinho said. "He wants to be the Vinícius who wins games, who wins trophies, who wins Champions Leagues, who makes the difference.
"He's a boy who -- to my surprise -- is a great boy, who's working hard. Will he always play until 'our' Vini returns? Or will the time come when I think the best way of helping him is with a specific plan, which involves him not playing, and finding another way of helping the player?
"It hurts me that the fans, influenced by a lot of you [the media], aren't helping him. He deserves to be helped."