Rafael van der Vaart believes he has what it takes to succeed at Real Madrid and has rubbished reports linking him to Chelsea.

Van der Vaart was informed that he was free to leave in the offseason. He was, however, let off the hook after Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder were sent on their way to Bayern Munich and Inter Milan respectively. The Dutchman has since been given a second chance.

The former Hamburg man believes he can now focus on the task at hand - which is to adapt and secure a place in Los Blancos' starting XI after missing a few games early in the season.

"I wasn't fit [early in the campaign] and there was a lot going on in my head. I didn't do well in training," he told Madrid's official website.

"Now I am very happy and I want to prove I can be important. The coach has allowed me to play several minutes in the last few games.

"I have to take advantage of every chance I get to prove I can play here.

"I know it's hard, but I want to fight for Real Madrid and become important in the team."

Van der Vaart was slammed for some of his poorer performances last season, but the midfielder says that it is part of the game. The 26-year-old just wants a chance to prove his critics wrong.

"I think it's normal for journalists to criticise us when we don't play well. Nevertheless, I don't believe a bad season proves a player isn't good for it," he added.