Kylian Mbappe declared himself Real Madrid's "fourth-choice forward" after a bench appearance in Thursday's 2-0 win over Real Oviedo. Returning from a hamstring injury, he faced boos from supporters during his comeback. The French star, who missed the Clasico defeat that sealed Barcelona's LaLiga title, accepted his reduced role behind Vinicius Junior, Franco Mastantuono, and Gonzalo Garcia.

His comments follow intense fan backlash, with over 30m people signing a petition for his exit. Anger spiked when he vacationed in Sardinia during injury recovery. Mbappe started all six games prior to his injury, scoring three times, but has been omitted from the starting XI on four occasions since Alvaro Arbeloa replaced Xabi Alonso in January.

Head coach Arbeloa denied Mbappe is fourth-choice, citing fitness management after the Barcelona loss. He confirmed Mbappe will start Sunday's crucial match against Sevilla. Meanwhile, Jose Mourinho is increasingly likely to become Madrid's next manager, a move President Florentino Perez hopes will stabilize the club amid dressing-room unrest and the Mbappe conundrum.