Paris Saint-Germain are a better team now than they were when Kylian Mbappe was involved, so says Luis Enrique.

PSG are surging towards another Ligue 1 title, despite having seen Mbappe leave for Real Madrid at the end of last season.

Mbappe spent seven years at PSG, scoring 256 goals in 308 games across all competitions, averaging a goal every 96 minutes.

However, Luis Enrique feels PSG have improved since Mbappe's departure.

"I was very brave last season when I told you that we would have a better team in attack and defence," Luis Enrique told reporters ahead of PSG's clash with Monaco.

"I still think that we are better, the numbers are there to say it. The players took it as a challenge. Of course, we would have liked to keep Kylian, because everyone loved him, but the team is responding at a spectacular level.

"I told you that rather than having a player who scores 40 goals, I wanted players who all score a lot. Faced with a situation that we did not want but which happened, the maturity of the team is very good."

PSG are the only unbeaten team in Europe's top five leagues after 20 games, sitting 10 points clear of Marseille and 13 above Monaco.

They beat Monaco 4-2 in the reverse fixture in December before a last-gasp Ousmane Dembele goal helped them to a 1-0 win in the Trophee des Champions in January.

Luis Enrique said he wanted Dembele, who has netted 14 goals in Ligue 1 this term, to become the team's leader.

"Right now, he is in an absolutely spectacular series. His statistics have exploded compared to the beginning of his career, that's obvious," Luis Enrique said.

"He has to be important for the team, not just scoring goals. To score a goal, someone has to give you an assist. What we are looking for with Ousmane, is for him to continue to be a determining player, with assists and defensive efforts.

"Becoming a leader of the team is not just about scoring goals. Being a leader is something different. I believe that Ousmane, very clearly, can become one of the leaders of the team."

Luis Enrique added that he expected a complicated clash against eight-time Ligue 1 champions Monaco.

"Monaco have made a lot of progress without the ball. They are very intense," he said.

"They are a well-constructed team that occupies the pitch well.

"They can cause lots of trouble. We saw that in the last two games. They are a direct competitor in Ligue 1 and it will be another difficult match tomorrow."