Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema is reportedly unhappy about his role with the club so far this season and is believed to have challenged coach Manuel Pellegrini about being substituted in Sunday's Primera Division defeat to Sevilla.
Benzema is said to be angered by his playing role alongside veteran striker Raul and would like to play with a more 'mobile' striker partner to compliment his own game, according to Sport.
The 21-year-old French star joined Los Merengues in the belief that he would be a regular in the Madrid starting eleven but he has fallen foul of Pellegrini's rotation policy, only managing to play the full 90 minutes on three occasions so far.
Pellegrini is understood to have foretold such problems with the French star at the club and initially wanted the club to abandon the €35 million transfer and take a risk on Alvaro Negredo. The Chilean coach is believed to have preferred to keep Dutch duo Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder at the club.
The rumblings of dressing-room discontent at Madrid so early in the season are sure to give Pellegrini further headaches when it comes to team selection after it was reported that club president Florentino Perez wants Madrid to field their best players at all times.