Kylian Mbappe numbers augment concern at Real Madrid over form

France captain Kylian Mbappe looked like a man without a burden on his shoulders as he was presented to an adoring Real Madrid crowd at the Santiago Bernabeu in July. However, things have not gone entirely to plan since he joined Real Madrid.

Mbappe has scored nine goals in 17 appearances for Real Madrid so far, which isn't a bad figure, but with some of those goals coming from penalties, you get the feeling he has yet to show what he can do in a white shirt.

Something that takes place in the figures. ESPN's Alex Kirkland has highlighted that Mbappe is currently underperforming his expected goals rating at 1.83 in La Liga and 1.68 in the Champions League. His 12.7% conversion rate of shots to goals makes him the 48th most effective striker in La Liga, and the 125th in the top 5 European leagues, while Robert Lewandowski has taken 10 fewer shots to more than double his La Liga -number to score.

It's a worrying sign for Real Madrid and makes it clear that Mbappe is effectively lacking confidence at the moment, as hard as it is to believe. With Vinicius out for the next few weeks, Mbappe should be able to pick up a point by playing on the left – his preferred position – which could help him get back to his best. From there, Mbappé scored against Leganes on Sunday, his first game in that position for Carlo Ancelotti.