Claims that Kylian Mbappe’s place in the Real Madrid squad has contributed to his lackluster play since joining the team in the summer have been dismissed.

Mbappe joined as a free agent to bolster a Madrid team that had just won the Spanish and European championships and was predicted to boost an already elite attacking lineup.

However, it took the Frenchman four La Liga games to score, playing as a “number nine” instead of the left striker position he had perfected at Paris Saint-Germain.

Even if there was a rush of goals after that, Mbappe suffered a short injury setback and only managed one goal in the following seven games in all competitions. On Sunday against Leganes, the 25-year-old scored a goal, but he was surprisingly back on the left, replacing regular winger Vinicius Junior.

A greater performance, according to Mbappe, was the result of discovering “rhythm” rather than necessarily being in a more comfortable or favored position.

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

“Compared to prior games, I played in a different position. I’m capable of playing all positions; perhaps in the upcoming game, I’ll try another one. I’m prepared. Playing on the left, in the middle, and on the right is the tale of my career. I want to do well on the field and score lots of goals.

Ancelotti, who had stated prior to the match that players were content with their places, maintained that the only reason for switching Mbappe and Vinicius was that the latter was experiencing the aftereffects of traveling to and from South America during the international break.