Alonso praises Mbappe's impact beyond goals at Real Madrid

Xabi Alonso, the Real Madrid manager, stated on Tuesday that Kylian Mbappe, the French football star, plays a crucial role in the squad that extends well past his exceptional goalscoring ability.

The forward struck four times in the Champions League victory over Olympiacos last week, bringing his total to 23 goals from 19 appearances in all competitions this term.

Mbappe has recently encouraged unity at Madrid as the Spanish powerhouse battles with uneven results during Alonsos tenure.

"He has excelled on an individual basis and supported the team significantly," Alonso commented at a press briefing prior to Wednesdays La Liga away match against Athletic Bilbao.

"Kylians contributions go further than goals, even though scoring remains the primary focus, yet he offers vital elements such as guidance, authority, aiding his colleagues, which proves essential on a daily basis."

Real Madrid sit one point adrift of title holders Barcelona following their third successive league stalemate on Sunday versus the Catalan outfit Girona.

Outlets in Spain have questioned whether Alonsos job security at the club hangs in the balance should results fail to strengthen.

The manager from the Basque country revealed that he has held talks in the past few days with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez on reversing the teams fortunes.

"Those discussions have been encouraging and constructive, centred on boosting our performance levels, which forms the core of our exchanges," Alonso noted, while accepting that Madrid have shown unpredictability over the campaign.

"In my view, we have missed steadiness in our performances, and we intend to elevate our play in the coming fixture," the manager went on.

"Our on-pitch quality has waned somewhat, and our vitality has diminished a touch."

Real Madrid must cope without French defender Ferland Mendy for the Bilbao journey.

The club issued a Tuesday update stating Mendy "diagnosed with a hamstring injury", coming less than seven days after his recovery from a thigh complaint in the Champions League game versus Olympiacos, his initial outing this season.

Media in Spain report that the fresh setback will rule Mendy out for about three weeks.