Alvaro Arbeloa not worried about further risk for Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe after both were called up for international duty
Jude Bellingham is fit enough to feature for Real Madrid against Atletico Madrid on Sunday after fulling recovering from injury, according to manager Alvaro Arbeloa.
The England international has not featured since early February due to a hamstring problem. He travelled with the squad for the midweek Champions League match against Manchester City but was not fit enough to that play that game. Now, Arbeloa has confirmed the midfielder is back in contention for Sunday’s derby.
“He’s available, and he’ll be in the squad tomorrow,” Arbeloa said. “We’ll see if he plays. I think so. I’m looking forward to seeing him on the pitch. He’s an intelligent player, and he knows what to do in every moment. I’m happy he’ll be available and ready to help us tomorrow.”
Bellingham’s return comes after he was included in Thomas Tuchel’s latest England squad for the upcoming March friendlies, despite his recent absence with injury.
Arbeloa says forward Kylian Mbappe, who appeared as a substitute in Manchester, is now fully fit after his knee issue.
“I said that the day he came back he’d be at 100 per cent,” Arbeloa said. “We saw that in Manchester, with the runs he made. He showed that he’s fine. I have absolute confidence. He’s at 100 per cent.”
The French forward is expected to join up with France under Didier Deschamps for fixtures against Brazil and Colombia in the international window. Arbeloa is not worried about that being too early for the player.
“I think it’s great,” Arbeloa said. “He’s available, and he’s played minutes for us. So there’s no problem with him going away with his country. With players like Bellingham and Mbappe, you can’t expect them not to be called up by their national teams. The World Cup is in a few months. I understand the situation perfectly.”
