Messi has to serve Mbappe as he is number one at PSG - Anelka

Lionel Messi

is not

’s number one player and he ‘must serve’

Kylian Mbappe

, says

Nicolas Anelka

.

The 34-year-old made a move to PSG in August when he hit free agency after Barcelona failed to register him.

The six-time Ballon d’Or winner has not scored or provided an assist for PSG yet and did not feature in their last two clashes due to a knee injury.

Messi is attracting a lot of attention playing next to Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. Messi and Mbappe have appeared 160 minutes on the team together, passing the ball 18 times.

Although Messi was Barcelona’s main man for most of his career at Camp Nou, the ex-PSG forward believes the Ligue 1 side should build around the France international.

"

Mbappe has to lead the attack because he's number one,"

Anelka told Le Parisien.

"Messi was at Barcelona, but now he has to serve Mbappe. He's been at the club for five years and Messi has to respect him."

The Frenchman has met the back of the net four times and contributed four assists during nine games for PSG this season. Real Madrid have been eyeing a move for the talisman, who is now in the final year of his deal with the French side, and Anelka can understand why Mbappe would like to join a new side.

"

He's a phenomenal player in terms of his speed – there's no one better on the planet,"

Anelka said.

"If Paris want to have the best team, they have to do everything they can to keep him.

"But I think it's very clear in Kylian's head. He wants to see something else, and that makes sense. He's dreaming of the Ballon d'Or, and how can he win it if he's playing in the sixth-best league [now fifth-best] by UEFA coefficient?

"If Kylian had been in England or Spain for the last three years, he would have already won the Ballon d'Or."

Mbappe will be in the starting XI in the battle against Manchester City in the Champions League on Tuesday, whereas Messi is expected to make an appearance against ex-coach Pep Guardiola as well.

"

You don't take off a six-time Ballon d'Or winner in the 65th minute, when he hasn't scored for his team. That plays with his head a lot,"

he said.

"A forward needs his coach to show him confidence, and that right there won't do it. I'm getting ahead of myself, but Messi will not forget what Pochettino has done. 

"It will stay with him. He's the star of the team, and it was his first game at the Parc des Princes. It's going to be very difficult to recover from that as a situation.

"Messi didn't play against Metz, and for me that's already a response. You can't manage Messi like that. The coach wanted to send out a strong message, which is good, but this is Messi."

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