Kylian Mbappe has ‘never asked for a position’ amid struggles fitting in at Real Madrid

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has denied that Kylian Mbappe needs to play in a certain position or has asked for a particular role on the pitch since joining during the summer.

Mbappe’s arrival on a free transfer after leaving Paris Saint-Germain was seen as another major upgrade for a Madrid side that had just won La Liga and the Champions League.

Yet the Frenchman, despite scoring eight times across all competitions, has struggled to find his feet. Madrid have switched formation since last season’s domestic and European double in order to accommodate Mbappe in the same team as Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham.

Mbappe isn’t as well suited to playing centrally as he is on the left, where he thrived for PSG. But Vini is immovable in that role, while Bellingham has been suppressed by now playing deeper.

“Kylian has never asked me for a position on the pitch,” Ancelotti told reporters on Saturday.

“They all want to be in the starting XI, they don’t have a fixed position and can be changed depending on the match situations.

“All strikers have had a bad run, if they don’t score they get frustrated. I see him motivated and happy to train with his teammates. Sooner or later the run will stop. Tomorrow he will have a great game [against Leganes] because it is just a matter of time.

“He has incredible quality and sooner or later he will show it.”

Mbappe was surprisingly left out of the France squad for internationals earlier this month. The 25-year-old didn’t play for his country in October amid a niggling fitness concern but his second successive omission came after not missing a club game in almost two months.