Luka Modric has spoken out on Kylian Mbappe and his start at Real Madrid after their damaging defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League.
Real Madrid continued their underwhelming form with a 2-0 defeat at Anfield on Wednesday night.
Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo scored to secure Liverpool their spot in the next round of the Champions League, further denting the defending champions' hopes of progression.
Carlo Ancelotti's side have picked up just six points from their opening five games in Europe and are currently down in 24th place in the table.
The Spanish giants occupy the final spot in the positions for the play-off round and are now at real risk of being eliminated from the competition entirely, with three games remaining in the league phase.
Mbappe has come under fire from the Spanish media for his performance at Anfield, with the France international missing a penalty to level the match at 1-1 after Mac Allister's opening goal.
The 25-year-old struggled to have an impact on the game and was expertly contained by Conor Bradley, who delighted the Liverpool crowd with a thunderous challenge on the French winger during the first half.
Speaking after the defeat to Liverpool, Real Madrid legend Luka Modric said: "We had the penalty that could have changed the game and we didn't take advantage of it and with the score at 2-0 we were almost lost."
But the 39-year-old gave his support to Mbappe, adding: "We see him [Mbappe] doing well, training well and with confidence. Sometimes things work out and sometimes they don’t, especially with the penalty. We have confidence in him and we're sure he'll do very well."
Mbappe's performances for Madrid since his free transfer from PSG in the summer have been questioned in Spain, with the France international paid a huge £128m signing-on bonus to join the Bernabeu club according to the BBC.
Mbappe's teammate Jude Bellingham, who like the Frenchman was booed by Liverpool fans during the game for rejecting a move to Anfield, refused to blame the winger for the defeat.
Mbappe missed a penalty against Liverpool (Image: Getty)
Mbappe missed a penalty against Liverpool (Image: Getty)
Speaking on the penalty miss, Bellingham told TNT Sports: "It's obviously a big moment in the game, but it can happen.
"He's a wonderful player, but the pressure that he holds because of how good he is, is huge, it's humongous.
"The penalty is not the reason why we lost the game. As a collective we weren't good enough on the night. They performed better than us and it's as simple as that.
"Kylian can keep his head high. I know that for sure he will produce many more moments that are huge for this club."
Real Madrid have remaining games against Atalanta, Red Bull Salzburg and Brest in the Champions League and must win them all to have a chance of securing a top eight spot.