Kylian Mbappe camp forced to issue statement amid claims he’s isolated in Real Madrid dressing room

Kylian Mbappe faces an uncertain future at Real Madrid amid reports of tensions within the club and dressing room.

The Frenchman, regarded as one of the best players in world football, is facing a turbulent second season in the Spanish capital.

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Mbappe has 85 goals in 100 appearances for Madrid, with 41 of those coming in as many matches so far this season.

However, whilst being sidelined with a hamstring injury, he has been criticised for going on holiday to Italy.

A report from French outlet L’Equipe has claimed that both Madrid fans and employees are ‘displeased’ with his getaway.

The Athletic have also reported that Mbappe was involved in a flare-up with a coach during training, and is said to have insulted them.

This has led to his camp hitting back at the recent media reports.

Noise surrounding the 27-year-old has been untimely for Madrid as they prepare for El Clasico against Barcelona on Sunday evening.

Barca are 11 points clear of their rivals at the summit and just need a point to win the title.

Couple this with another season void of Champions League success, Madrid are beginning to become a shadow of their former self.

Calderon: Madrid should not sell Mbappe

However, speaking on the first episode of talkSPORT’s new show, The S* Word, former Madrid president Ramon Calderon gave his backing to Mbappe amid the inner and outer criticism.

Speaking on the images of him on holiday, he said: “Well, the picture I’ve seen is (him) having lunch in a restaurant, and even the coach has said that every player can do what he wants when he has free time.”

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American journalist Master Tesfatsion, who was co-hosting the show, then said that Madrid players have had to ‘sacrifice so much’ for Mbappe to be the talisman, and asked if it is in the best interest of the team amid a ‘no one is bigger than the club’ mentality.

“Well, it’s true, I know that very well,” Calderon replied. “I know that some players cannot fit, sometimes, in a particular team, maybe in this case with Real Madrid.

“But I still think that he is one of the best strikers in the world, it’s difficult for any team to not want to have him on their side. Maybe the coach hasn’t found the right place for him.

“It’s true that Vinicius and him are playing on the same side of the pitch, that can be a problem, the left side of the pitch, and maybe a new coach can find a solution for him.

“I wouldn’t let him go, really, but I’m now not at the club so it’s a matter for the president (Florentino Perez) to decide what to do with this player. But, we’ve paid a lot of money to him. I think he has four years left on his contract, it’s not easy to get rid of him.”

‘Real Madrid need to move on’

Tesfatsion also outlined how Madrid could actually be better off without their star Galactico.

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“The Kylian Mbappe experience at Real Madrid, through these past two years, has been an absolute disaster,” he said.

“Real Madrid need to move on from Kylian Mbappe, this experience is not working out. They won the Champions League, they won LaLiga without him.

“The team did everything they could… Jude Bellingham, from Fede Valverde, to Vinicius Jr, they tried to make him as comfortable as possible when he first got there because of the weight on his shoulders, he had a crazy goal drought to start the season.

“They did everything they could to make him feel comfortable, and how has he repaid them? He has made it dysfunctional for the club.

“All the reports that have been coming out, in terms of the players being frustrated, angry, upset with the way Kylian Mbappe has been treating the players, the managers, the whole entire club.

“We’ve seen his absence during the most important times of the season… he’s on the beach! It is inexcusable, as the highest-paid player of Real Madrid, to not give it your all while you still have a chance for LaLiga.

“To be out in Italy, photos taken of you, paparazzi. Not to be, at the bare minimum, watching your club somewhere privately and keeping this away from the media…

“We saw (Aurelien) Tchouameni two years ago, I believe it was, he was at an NBA match in France when he was hurt so, clearly, this was approved in some capacity, but he got criticised for that because being publicly out while Real Madrid are playing is a huge no-no for the fans, and it’s a huge no-no for the club.

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“I think this experience right now is one that is not going well with the fans, it’s not going well with (Alvaro) Arbeloa, who was very critical and adamant, indirectly, speaking about Kylian Mbappe and the effort, and the fight, and what it takes to wear the Real Madrid shirt.

“It’s not going well with his teammates either because Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Jr, after the match, guess what pictures they were taking and posting on Instagram afterwards? Pictures of themselves, talking about fighting for the badge, making it very apparent, indirectly, they’re talking about Kylian Mbappe.

“You know what Kylian Mbappe was doing on social media last night? Marcus Thuram, won Serie A, Scudetto, with Inter (Milan) last night. Guess who was in the comments? Kylian Mbappe, showing him love.

“Do you see him in the comments of Vinicius Jr’s post? No. Do you see him in the comments for Jude Bellingham’s post? No.

“It’s a guy who’s completely detached, and had no other choice but to catch a private jet back to Madrid last night after that performance, and he’s back at the training facility right now, this morning, according to reports.

“This is a huge, huge story right now, that I don’t think is getting enough coverage.”

Will Mbappe play against Barcelona?

Amid the controversy off the pitch, there will be questions over whether or not Mbappe will feature on it this weekend.

Speaking after their 2-0 win at Espanyol on Sunday night, Arbeloa said: “We’ll see how Mbappe is this week.

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“After last week’s tests, it looked as though it might take a bit longer.”

The Athletic also enquired about his availability on Monday, with a source at the training ground saying: “Only he knows it.”

Whilst victory against Barcelona would earn them bragging rights, Madrid are still on course to lose out on the Spanish crown.

They also look set for a change of manager this summer, with Aston Villa boss Unai Emery understood to be on their shortlist.