Kylian Mbappe backed to follow Cristiano Ronaldo path & become a Real Madrid legend once he's had 'time to adapt and reshape his life'

Mbappe, who has scored nine goals in 17 matches this season, has faced heavy criticism for his performances since making a highly-anticipated free transfer to Madrid in the summer, after his departure from Paris Saint-Germain.

France coach Didier Deschamps left the 25-year-old out of his squad for the Nations League matches earlier this month and suggested the forward is struggling mentally, while Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti said such speculation is "ugly". It has also been suggested that Mbappe is underperforming at Madrid because he has been used as a centre-forward instead of in his preferred role on the left side of the attack, where Vinicius Junior plays instead.

Former France star Sagna, however, has faith in his compatriot to overcome his rough start to life in the Spanish capital, as he cited Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and David Beckham as examples of players who had a difficult time initially but blossomed into heroes at the Santiago Bernabeu.

"I have no doubts that the move to Real Madrid will be successful," Sagna said Mega Dice. "Everyone expected him to come in and break the records from the off. If you remember when Cristiano Ronaldo came to Madrid, he didn’t start well. When Benzema went to Real Madrid, everyone thought they made a big mistake signing him. When Beckham joined Madrid, people started saying he was a flop. Kylian is not alone in having a difficult start at Real. It happens to players. Players like Ronaldo, Benzema and Beckham, they became legends at the club, and Mbappe will follow in their footsteps. Even [Zinedine] Zidane was criticised! It will take time, but Mbappe will be a massive success at Real Madrid. People have such high expectations of him, which is why he is criticised more than any other player."

The former Arsenal and Manchester City star says the attacker just needs time to settle in with his new team as well as his new life in Spain.

"The press in France are way too harsh. They need to give him time to settle in Madrid," Sagna added. "It’s going to take time for him to be at his best because it’s a new team with a new philosophy. He has new players around him, bigger and better players, and it can take time to adapt. Mbappe has gone into a new environment, a team that has just won the Champions League, and he needs his own space. He’s surrounded by big players that have already won a lot, he’s a superstar in a team full of them, whereas at PSG, he was the main man. He’s not the leader of this Madrid team like he was in Paris. Since he was 15 years old, Mabppe has been the best player in every team that he played in. Now he's surrounded with big profiles and big egos. That can be hard to deal with – it’s all new for Kylian. Mbappe is an amazing player. He needs time to adapt and to reshape his life. I think the coach understood that bringing him into a negative environment at this period of time was not the best idea."

After scoring in his side's 3-0 win against Leganes in La Liga at the weekend, Mbappe will aim to prove his critics wrong by playing a starring role in their Champions League match against Liverpool on Wednesday.