Marc Cucurella has acknowledged Real Madrid have not started the season as they would have liked under new coach José Mourinho, but he says the team must be judged at the end of the campaign, not now.
Madrid have suffered two defeats in their opening seven LaLiga games, against Real Betis and Atlético Madrid, leaving them six points behind early leaders Barcelona.
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Cucurella, speaking in a news conference on Friday while on international duty with world champions Spain, said Madrid's new project needs time to take shape.
"It's all a process," Cucurella said. "With the national team, the foundations have been laid over many years -- with the [same] coach, too.
"At Madrid, we have just started with a new manager and it's too soon to speak. Some players only had a week-long preseason before starting.
"The beginning of the season hasn't been what we all hoped for, but it's a process and we will see where we are at the end of the campaign."
Cucurella has picked up where he left off for Spain at the World Cup in the summer, impressing in UEFA Nations League victories over England and Croatia during the last week.
It has led to suggestions the left back -- a €55 million ($62m) summer signing for Madrid from Chelsea -- is better suited to playing for his country than his club.
"It's not even been 10 games yet," Cucurella responded. "There are things to improve [with Madrid], of course. We basically had no preseason, while it's a new club for me.
"I have to adapt to my new teammates and give my best so that the player you see with the national team is the same player with Real Madrid."
Cucurella's form for Chelsea and Spain not only prompted Madrid to sign him in the summer, but also led to him being named among the 30 nominees to win this year's Ballon d'Or.
He is also in the rare position of playing alongside two of the favourites -- Kylian Mbappé with Madrid and Barcelona's Lamine Yamal with Spain -- but would not pick between the two.
"If it was up to me to vote, I would vote for myself," he joked when asked to name his winner.
"But no, two of the candidates to win it are teammates, so who whoever wins it, I will be happy."
Cucurella and Spain are back in action on Saturday when they host Czechia in Oviedo looking to make it three wins from three in the Nations League.
They then close the extended international break with a trip to Croatia on Tuesday.