Real Madrid superstar is the most-used outfield player in Europe’s top five leagues this season

Real Madrid superstar is the most-used outfield player in Europe’s top five leagues this season Real Madrid’s resurgence and five-game winning streak began with tactical adjustments made by manager Jose Mourinho. These gave the team greater defensive discipline and better midfield control, but another major factor has been Kylian Mbappe’s goalscoring form. The Frenchman has become indispensable, with Mourinho showing little willingness to take him off the pitch during games. According to MARCA , Mbappe is the most-used outfield player across Europe’s top five leagues this season. The Frenchman has accumulated 1,161 minutes out of the 1,170 that Real Madrid have played. This means that Mbappe has missed just 9 minutes of football all season. Mbappe playing virtually every minute for Real Madrid Mourinho has started Mbappe in every match this season and substituted him on only three occasions. He was brought off against Inter Milan in the 93rd minute, Sevilla in the 84th minute and RB Leipzig in the 88th. Kylian Mbappe has been playing with a machine like consistency. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) His remarkable workload becomes even more striking when considered alongside his goalscoring output. Mbappe has already scored 14 goals across all competitions this season. Madrid’s next-highest scorers are Carlos Espi, Arda Guler, Jude Bellingham and Yan Diomande, with three goals apiece. Only Barcelona’s Raphinha, with 15 goals, has scored more, but it is worth noting that the Brazilian has done so in considerably fewer minutes than Mbappe. Mourinho faces delicate balancing act The goalscoring numbers offer enough of an explanation for why Mourinho considers Mbappe virtually undroppable. More pertinently for the manager, without the Frenchman, the team don’t have enough goals from elsewhere to justify taking a different approach. However, Mbappe is 27, closing in on 28, and given his explosive playing style, managing his workload becomes crucial in the long run. Mourinho needs to be watchful about Mbappe’s minutes. (Photo by Burak Kara/Getty Images) With trips to Racing Santander, AEK Athens and Valencia in quick succession, Mourinho needs to find the right opportunity to give him some rest. Mbappe is chasing a goalscoring record against Racing , his 24th different opponent in La Liga and might not want to miss out on this weekend’s clash. Real Madrid need Mbappe for the entire season, not just for a few months. The club need to find a way to manage his minutes. The temptation to keep Mbappe on the pitch is understandable, especially with Barcelona still ahead in La Liga. The momentum is on Real Madrid’s side, and the last thing the manager will want is anything to disrupt it. It remains to be seen whether Real Madrid give their talisman some rest in the coming games or whether Mbappe continues to play every minute for Mourinho.