Kylian Mbappe has brushed off claims that his position in the Real Madrid team has been a factor behind underwhelming form since joining the club in the summer.

Mbappe signed as a free agent to complement a Madrid squad that had recently been crowned Spanish and European champions, tipped to supercharge an already world class attacking lineup.

But it took the Frenchman four La Liga games to get off the mark in front of goal, operating as a ‘number nine’ rather than the left forward role he had mastered at Paris Saint-Germain.

Although a flurry of goals did follow, Mbappe hit a brief injury setback and then scored only once in the next seven games across all competitions. The 25-year-old was on the scoresheet on Sunday against Leganes, but he was tellingly back on the left, swapping with usual winger Vinicius Junior.

But Mbappe’s explanation for a better performance was due to finding “rhythm”, rather than necessarily being in a more familiar or preferred position.

“It was a good game, I started well, I’m starting to get into rhythm,” he told Real Madrid TV.