Kylian Mbappe needs time to adjust to a team full of superstars, according to former France international Bacary Sagna.
Mbappe is in his first season at Real Madrid after spending the first nine years of his career in the French top flight, and while the 25-year-old has started to produce for his new club, he has often struggled to make an impact.
For Sagna, the main reason behind Mbappe's relatively slow transition to La Liga is simple. In additon to having to adjust to a new country and team environment, Sagna says Mbappe must also adapt to not being the "main man" on his new side.
Even at Paris Saint-Germain, where he played several years alongside Lionel Messi and Neymar, Mbappe was a star attraction, Sagna said.
"It’s going to take time for him to be at his best because it’s a new team with a new philosophy," Sagna told Mega Dice. "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."