Real Madrid’s coach, Álvaro Arbeloa, announced that Jude Bellingham is fit and ready to participate in the upcoming derby against Atlético Madrid on Sunday. He also expressed no concerns regarding Bellingham’s recent early call-up for international duty with England.
Bellingham was selected by Thomas Tuchel for England’s squad to face Uruguay and Japan, despite having not played for Madrid since February 1 due to a hamstring injury.
He traveled with the team for their midweek Champions League round of 16 triumph against Manchester City, although he did not participate in the match. During a press conference on Saturday, Arbeloa confirmed that Bellingham is fully prepared to make his return in LaLiga.
“He’s available and will be in the squad tomorrow,” Arbeloa stated. “We’ll see if he plays, but I’m eager to have him on the pitch. He’s an intelligent player and understands what to do in every situation. I’m glad he’ll be back and ready to assist us.”
Arbeloa also noted that forward Kylian Mbappé has returned to full fitness after recovering from a knee sprain and was pleased that both stars will join their national teams this month.
“I mentioned that once [Mbappé] returned, he would be at 100%,” Arbeloa said. “We saw that against Manchester, with the runs he made. He’s proven he’s fine, and I have complete confidence in him… He’s fully fit.”
Mbappé is included in France coach Didier Deschamps’ squad for matches against Brazil and Colombia during the international break.
“I think it’s fantastic,” Arbeloa said when asked if it might be too soon for Mbappé. “He’s available and has played minutes with us, so there’s no issue with him going off to represent his country. Players like Bellingham and Mbappé are too exceptional to expect otherwise, especially with the World Cup approaching.”
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Real Madrid previously suffered a significant 5-2 defeat against Atlético in this season’s earlier matchup; however, the team’s performance has improved under Arbeloa, who acknowledged the need to adapt his strategies to include both Mbappé and Bellingham.
“We’ll make some adjustments,” the coach indicated. “It’s obviously different playing with Brahim [Diaz] versus Mbappé or Jude or Thiago [Pitarch]… But these players are elite and know what teamwork entails.”
Arbeloa mentioned that there is currently “no timeline” for the return of Thibaut Courtois, who sustained a muscular injury against City, and he expressed his admiration for defender Antonio Rüdiger, whose contract is set to expire this summer.
“I prefer not to delve into that,” Arbeloa said regarding Rüdiger’s potential new contract. “I respect both the club and the player, and they must come to an agreement. However, I would gladly make a statue of Rüdiger and place it in my garden… I only have positive things to say about him.”