Alonso gives worrying update about Mbappé’s injury and reveals Madrid’s transfer strategy

Without resolving any doubts. Neither Huijsen’s, who did not train this morning, nor Mbappé’s, whose return Xabi Alonso refused to put a date on. The Real Madrid coach gave his first press conference of 2026 and said his team is approaching the match against Betis “with enthusiasm. We want to play a good game and win it.”

It will also be a reunion with the Bernabéu crowd, which ended 2025 by booing Vinicius. Alonso struck a conciliatory tone with the fans: “Tomorrow it’s up to us to give in order to receive, to transmit that desire and rhythm we need. If that flows both ways, we’ll enjoy it.”

How do you envision the match? Good afternoon and Happy New Year to everyone. After a week’s break, we’re eager to return to competition and approach this second half of the season with enthusiasm, excitement, and renewed energy. We want to play a good match and win it.

Do you still see Rodrygo on the right wing? Rodrygo can play in any of the three attacking positions. He finished the year in excellent form, playing some very good matches towards the end of the season, and we had a great feeling about him. We need him, just like everyone else. To replace Kylian, we have several options, and Rodrygo is one of them.

Are you open to signing players? It’s our duty to always stay alert, even though we’re happy with the squad.

Carvajal has been training. How is he? What is his leadership like? He was able to complete the entire session. We’ll decide on the squad tomorrow morning. At every club, players who carry weight are essential, not only for what they contribute on the pitch but also for how they handle difficult moments. Carva is one of them. His personality and influence on the team are immense. We would have liked to have him with us over the past two months, and now we want to help him regain his best physical condition so he can contribute. But just having him back already helps.

What are the timelines with Mbappé? We’re going to push the deadlines. It’s largely about how he feels. When is “as soon as possible”? That’s the question. I don’t know. The Super Cup? We’ll see.

Endrick’s move to Lyon. Were you involved in that decision? At this stage of his career, Endrick needs to play. I understand why he made that decision and why the club felt it was important for him to gain experience in a league like the French one. Real Madrid does a great job with players who leave to grow and then return.

Is Mbappé’s situation just bad luck? After each match, we assess the situation and make decisions. Now we’ll see. We need to monitor his progress and do everything we can to get him back as soon as possible.

How is Vinicius, who was booed in the last match? Vini looks good, happy, and smiling. The break has been good for all of us to recharge. Tomorrow it’s our turn to give in order to receive, to spread the enthusiasm and rhythm we need. If that flows both ways, we’ll enjoy it.

Does this team need a playmaker? I work with the foundation we have, with the squad we have, and it’s my responsibility to get the most out of them. We’re still in a process, with good moments and not-so-good ones. We’re always focused on improving, without thinking about specific names.

How has the break been for you? I went home and enjoyed some time with family and friends in San Sebastián.

Huijsen hasn’t trained. What’s wrong with him? He was feeling some discomfort, so we wanted to be cautious. We’ll decide tomorrow.

We saw how you chose to line up without Mbappé at the Club World Cup. How do you see that system now? It was quite flexible. We didn’t change that much. With the players we had, we tried to find the best way to fit the pieces together, and we performed well. We’ll definitely miss Kylian, but we have to place a lot of trust in the players who will start tomorrow.

Given what’s happened with Mbappé, is it really that difficult to convince a player to stop? Managing ambitious players is always easy. My job is to make decisions, and I take responsibility for them.

Would it have been advisable to wait until after the Super Cup to complete Endrick’s loan? We have to think not only about the short term, but also the medium term, and about the timing of negotiations. The decision has been made and there’s no going back. We’ll approach the Super Cup with confidence in the players we have.

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