Thierry Henry defend Bellingham and Mbappe as the French is left out of France’s latest squad

Former Champions League winner Thierry Henry defended Real Madrid's misfiring Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham.

Henry had his say after Real Madrid's limp 3-1 defeat at home to AC Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday. Carlo Ancelotti's side were thumped 4-0 in the Santiago Bernabeu by arch-rivals Barcelona at the end of October and the Italian coach has revealed his concerns with a team which he freely admits "is not playing well".

Mbappe has been a lightning rod for plenty of backlash after a poor run of form. The French summer arrival is yet to settle in Madrid and boasts just five non-penalty goals in 15 appearances across all competitions this season. Jude Bellingham racked up a sensational 23-goal haul last term but is yet to score since the summer.

In his role as a pundit for CBS Sports, Henry offered an impassioned defence for the England midfielder "It's almost always Bellingham that tries to make the runs, makes the team play," the former Barcelona player explained.

"He is still the one who tries to break the lines. Who is running and trying to get to the finish line? It's Bellingham that is doing Mbappe's job.

"This can happen from time to time, but not all the time. Do you think Bellingham likes to do these runs to stretch the team? He does it because he has the desire and the will to do it."

Mbappe was surprisingly left out of France's squad for this month's upcoming internationals despite being injury-free. Former Madrid forward Karim Benzema argued that the natural left winger was struggling to find his position in a team which already includes Vinicius Junior.

On Mbappe, Henry conceded: "You have to give him time, but he must learn to play as a 'nine' and have the desire and the will to do so. I think the team is frustrated with him, which I can understand."

Meanwhile, Didier Deschamps has taken full responsibility for the decision to drop Mbappe from France’s squad for the upcoming international break.

Mbappe, who was named France’s captain last year, was rested for his national side’s two Nations League matches last month after suffering a thigh injury with Madrid.

However, Mbappe has now been left out of France’s squad for their games against Israel and Italy next week with Deschamps describing the call as a ‘one-off’.

‘I had several discussions with him and I made this decision on this gathering because I think it’s better this way,’ Deschamps said.

‘I’m not going to argue. What I can tell you is two things. One: Kylian wanted to come. Two: it’s not the extra-sporting issues [the rape investigation in Sweden] that come into play, from the moment the presumption of innocence exists. So it’s a choice, which, I repeat, is a one-off, for the two matches that await us.

‘I know that things will bounce back, but I’m not going to tell you more, for the simple reason that we have a training camp with two matches. With a course that I had set and on which I also stick, which is important, namely to give playing time and to distribute it, to youngsters who have less experience and who, through the last gathering, gave a lot of satisfaction. That’s why they’re coming back today. And then, we mustn’t forget, that there is also a dynamic. We are on three consecutive victories. We must ensure our qualification for the final eight and to be able to play for first place.

‘I repeat, it’s my decision because it’s better this way.

‘I can understand that it’s not enough for you. But I’m not going to get into an argument that leads to interpretations. So there you go, I don’t want to tell you more. I take responsibility for that decision… I had discussions with him. I’m not going to get into that.’’