Kylian Mbappe, an attacker for Real Madrid, will not play in France’s Nations League matches against Israel and Italy in November.

The controversial 25-year-old requested to be benched from the upcoming international games in October. Now, though, Les Bleus coach Didier Deschamps has come clean about his decision to bench his underperforming captain.

My choice was based on conversations I had with Kylian,” Deschamps stated (as reported by Fabrizio Romano). This is the best way. It was Mbappe’s desire to accompany us. It has nothing to do with any other issue.

The attacker’s recent displays for Real Madrid have earned him criticism. He formerly played for Paris Saint-Germain. In their 4-0 loss to archrivals Barcelona, he was wildly offside eight times, missed two excellent scoring opportunities, and generally had a poor day.

After losing 3-1 to AC Milan at the San Siro, there was little sign of progress. Thierry Henry, a CBS analyst, hammered him for not putting forth enough effort on the field.

Even if no one in the football world had predicted this, Mbappe’s move to Madrid has taken a turn for the worse in the span of a few months due to the World Cup winner’s inability to settle into his new position as center striker.

It will be difficult to unseat the Brazilian from his starting spot on the left flank, where he prefers to play, because Vinicius Jr. On the left side of the field, Rodrygo is patiently waiting for his opportunity to come up. Carlo Ancelotti is attempting to force a square peg into a round hole, and as a result, Madrid’s offensive is imbalanced.

It appears like Mbappe has gotten increasingly unhappy with being played out of position, but he should not hold anyone else responsible but himself. He must gather himself and confront this dilemma head-on; it was inevitable.

Also, the level of criticism is too high. Among Madrid’s underperforming players, Mbappe is not alone. It would be helpful if the Spanish media would give him some space to adjust to his new home.