Real Madrid head coach Carlo Ancelotti has admitted that Rodrygo has not scored the amount of goals that he "expected of him" during the 2023-24 campaign.

The 22-year-old has started all eight of his side's matches this season, but he has only managed to score once, with his goal coming against Athletic Bilbao on the opening weekend of the new La Liga campaign.

Rodrygo is playing in a front two this season, partnering Vinicius Junior and Joselu during stages of the season, and Ancelotti has admitted that the Brazil international's goal troubles have surprised him.

"The problem is that he hasn't scored the goals I expected of him, but he has worked very well. He's had a lot of wear and tear and a bit of rest can help him," Ancelotti told reporters ahead of Saturday's La Liga clash with Girona.

Rodrygo made the move to Los Blancos from Santos in 2019, and he has represented the club on 173 occasions, scoring 38 goals and registering 33 assists in the process.

Last season, the Brazil international represented Real Madrid on 57 occasions, scoring 19 goals and registering 11 assists in the process.

Rodrygo did play through the middle at times in 2022-23, but he largely operated on the right of a front three, with Karim Benzema as the centre-forward and Vinicius on the left.

After the 2-0 win over Las Palmas earlier this week, Ancelotti said that he was confident Rodrygo's troubles in front of goal would soon come to an end.

"These are moments that strikers go through. When they don't score they have a bit of anxiety. The best thing we can do is to keep giving him confidence," said the Italian.

"He gave a fantastic assist to Joselu. The goal is very important for him, but it will come at the moment when he doesn't think about scoring."

Joselu, signed on loan from Espanyol over the summer, has come up with three goals in seven league appearances for Real Madrid this season.

Vinicius, like Rodrygo, has only netted once, although the 23-year-old has recently been on the sidelines with a hamstring problem, making his return off the bench against Las Palmas.

Ancelotti confirmed during his press conference on Friday that Vinicius would start Saturday's top-of-the-table contest with Girona, seemingly alongside Rodrygo in a front two.

Antonio Rudiger is also in the squad against Girona despite suffering a knock on Wednesday, but David Alaba, Eder Militao, Thibaut Courtois and Arda Guler remain on the sidelines through injury. body check tags ::