'Carlo Ancelotti and Real Madrid players didn't want Kylian Mbappe!' - European champions had France superstar forced upon them by Florentino Perez, claims former star

Mbappe arrived in Spain in the summer after one of the most protracted transfer sagas in recent memory. However, since his arrival, the 25-year-old has struggled at times, scoring eight goals in 16 games. Reports have suggested he would prefer to play on the left wing rather than up front, but Vinicius Jr occupies that position, and Ancelotti is said to have no plans to prioritise the Frenchman over the Brazilian.

Now, Petit, a former France international, has claimed that Ancelotti and several of his charges did not want to sign the World Cup winner, having just lifted the Champions League and La Liga trophies. The coach, Petit believes, would not have wanted to make major changes to his squad, and has seen the former Monaco wonderkid foisted upon him. Mbappe had also been briefly linked with Liverpool, but the ex-Chelsea star does not think he should have chosen Anfield instead, as he has challenged him to find a way to turn his fortunes around.

Petit told Casino Hawks: "I’m sure that Carlo Ancelotti and several Real Madrid players didn’t want the club to sign Kylian Mbappe in the summer. This was a dressing room who had just won La Liga and the Champions League and his arrival has only brought trouble.Ancelotti was on top of the world after winning the Champions League and I think he would’ve liked two or three players to fit into his squad but no big changes.

"When you win big trophies you build happiness and bringing in big egos changes things. The biggest problem for Mbappe is having two team-mates who also want to be the star of the show and want to win the Ballon d’Or in Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr."

He added: "It’s too early to say if Kylian Mbappe would’ve been better off joining Liverpool, he’s just got to show that he has the character and mental strength to put things right. He needs to show that he can be as strong as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo mentality to find his consistency, he needs to show that he has real character and personality on the pitch."

Real Madrid play Leganes in La Liga this weekend. The club are currently second in the Spanish top-flight, six points behind leaders Barcelona.