Madrid ‘clear’ on Mbappe, but doubt for City clash
Coach Álvaro Arbeloa said on Sunday that Real Madrid are “very clear” about Kylian Mbappé‘s knee problem but admitted he is a doubt to face Manchester City, after the star forward was ruled out for an indefinite period this week.
Mbappé has been troubled by discomfort in his left knee since before Christmas, with Madrid attempting to manage the injury by occasionally resting the player — including the Manchester City defeat in December, the Spanish Supercopa semifinal and last month’s LaLiga win over Real Sociedad.
The club haven’t published an official medical report detailing the problem, but Arbeloa admitted earlier this week, when Mbappé missed the Champions League playoff second leg with Benfica, that his absence “won’t be a question of days, it will be longer.”
“It’s very clear to us: what’s wrong, and what we want now,” Arbeloa said in a news conference on Sunday ahead of Madrid’s league game with Getafe “It’s that [Mbappé] recovers totally from the discomfort, so he can come back at 100%, with complete confidence and security — when he feels totally recovered, and that discomfort has disappeared.”
After hosting Getafe in LaLiga on Monday, Madrid travel to Celta Vigo on Friday, and play City at the Bernabéu on Wednesday, March 11.
They then play Elche on March 14, before the return leg in Manchester on March 17. “We’ll see, day by day,” Arbeloa said, when asked if Mbappé would be back to face the Premier League giants. “He will see how he feels, and how he recovers and evolves.
“Right now it’s better not to give a timeline. We’ll see how he feels, and based on that, we’ll decide. We want him to return at 100%, and when that happens, he’ll be back.”
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Arbeloa denied that there was a danger of players like Mbappé preferring not to risk exacerbating an injury during the season, with an eye to being fit for this summer’s World Cup.
“I gave everything I had for my club when I was playing, and then I gave my all when I was with my country,” ex-Spain international Arbeloa said. “I don’t understand players who save their energy, who don’t get stuck in, who’re thinking about doing anything other than giving their all for Real Madrid.
“That’s how it will be in the next few months. There’s no better way to go into a World Cup than performing well for your club.” Madrid go into the Getafe game four points behind title rivals Barcelona, who beat Villarreal 4-1 on Saturday.