Carlo Ancelotti says Kylian Mbappe ‘settling in very well’ at Real Madrid

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti insists that Kylian Mbappe is “settling in very well” at the club.

The France captain completed a free transfer to the Spanish capital in June following the expiration of his contract at Paris St Germain.

He got off the mark with his first Real goal on his competitive debut earlier in August after they beat Atalanta 2-0 in Warsaw to win the UEFA Super Cup.

However, Mbappe’s first two LaLiga games have proved more frustrating as he continues his search for a first league goal, but speaking ahead of Thursday’s meeting with Las Palmas, Ancelotti is not worried about the striker’s form.

“He is coming along very well, he looks to be getting better and better, keen and motivated, he trains well and he’s very humble. He’s settling in very well,” Ancelotti told a press conference.

“Mbappe scored his last goal on 14 August, it’s been two weeks, and it’s not really anything to worry about. We’re not worried, he’s not worried either.

“He’s satisfied, he’s happy and he wants to score. Just like Vinicius Jr, who hasn’t scored in the last three games, and he’s not worried”.

Real registered a 1-1 draw with Mallorca in their first LaLiga fixture of the season, but they soon claimed a first win with a 3-0 victory at home to Valladolid on Sunday.

Endrick scored his first goal for the club to wrap up victory after second-half strikes from Federico Valverde and Brahim Diaz put Real ahead and Ancelotti believes there is still more to come from his attacking prospects.

“We’ve got Vinicius and Rodrygo, not just Mbappe. We have a lot of attacking options,” he added.

“We’ve scored six goals in three games and the team is still not at its best. You’re not going to have a problem in front of goal.

“This happened when Cristiano (Ronaldo) was here and is happening now. It also happened last year when we didn’t have many forwards.”

Ancelotti will also have one eye on the Champions League draw taking place on Thursday evening.

A new look sees the group-stage format scrapped in place of a 36-team league phase, meaning teams will now play eight matches against two opponents from each of the four seeding pots.

The top eight teams automatically qualify for the last 16, while a knockout phase will decide who makes up the remaining spots.

Real are the defending champions after winning last season’s showpiece at Wembley, but Ancelotti remained tight-lipped about his opinions on the new format.

“I’ve not got an opinion on it because we’ve never played a competition like this,” he said.

“We have to be patient to make an assessment of this new format. It could be good for the competition and for everyone.

“What we find difficult to understand is the increase in the number of matches because the schedule is more challenging.”