Champions League

Arbeloa sends worrying message regarding Mbappé’s injury recovery

The Real Madrid manager spoke ahead of the game against Benfica where he gave an update on Mbappé’s fitness.

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Vincent West
Joe Brennan
Football Journalist
Born in Leeds, Joe finished his Spanish degree in 2018 before becoming an English teacher to football (soccer) players and managers, as well as collaborating with various football media outlets in English and Spanish. He joined AS in 2022 and covers both the men’s and women’s game across Europe and beyond.
Update:

Álvaro Arbeloa sent chills down the spines of Real Madrid fans the world over as he provided a worrying update on the fitness of star forward Kylian Mbappé, who is recovering from a knee injury.

The French forward was ruled out of the squad to take on Benfica in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League playoff round after he was forced to leave training early in the days leading up to the game, with a sore knee the issue.

While the initial news filtering out of the Spanish capital was that Mbappé’s injury was only minor, Arbeloa opened up on the situation a little more when speaking to Spanish television ahead of the clash at the Santiago Bernabéu stadium.

“The best thing he can do is stop and recover,” Arbeloa said, adding that “it’s not a question of days, it’s a bit longer than that.”

Mbappé has played all but one of Real Madrid’s Champions League games this season, and has featured in 25 of 25 LaLiga games, missing just two due to injury.

He has not played less than 78 minutes in any LaLiga game this season, and last failed to finish at full match 9 games ago, against Athletic Club, where he had scored 2 and got an assist.

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