Real Madrid remain cautious with Bellingham

Slowly but surely. Jude Bellingham is back, but not quite there yet. A paradox that could easily sound like a tongue twister, but whose explanation is simple. Being back with the squad is one thing; being at 100% is another. And for that, he still needs time. Not much, but still some.

That is the conclusion shared by both the Real Madrid and England national football team staff. He spent this break in London with the Three Lions, but he was not ready to play. In fact, he did not play a single minute. Everyone involved, including Jude himself, agrees that the risk of a relapse cannot be taken lightly. For his sake, but also with the FIFA World Cup on the horizon.

So, slowly but surely. Short steps, but firm ones. Bellingham has been medically cleared, but he is still not quite ready to return to the starting eleven.

“Hey Jude” is still at the take a sad song and make it better stage. It is approaching the breaking point, the chorus, but it has not reached it yet. Jude rejoined the group the week before the international break, beginning with controlled and closely monitored exercises. Everything was highly progressive. The feeling was positive enough for him to make the squad for the derby. And he did play, though only for 17 minutes. That was the limit if they wanted to avoid the risk of a relapse.

By then, he had gone almost two months without competing. He was injured on February 1, suffering a tear in his left leg. It was a significant blow, and his recovery ultimately extended beyond the initial one-month diagnosis. In total, it kept him out for seven weeks, a little over a month and a half.

And still, it was only 17 minutes. A modest tally before the call-up from England. But Thomas Tuchel did not hesitate; he included him in the squad. There were doubts at Valdebebas, understandably so, but they opted for a vote of confidence.

“It’s clear that Jude is a very intelligent player. He knows especially well what he is doing at every moment and the situation he is in,” Álvaro Arbeloa hinted at in a press conference, supporting the decision for him to join up for the international break despite knowing that playing time was almost impossible.

Bellingham spent the last week and a half with England, training intelligently and calmly, but without actually playing. Not against Uruguay national football team, nor against Japan national football team. Both matches were friendlies at Wembley Stadium.

He returned to Madrid yesterday and is back at Valdebebas today. There he will rejoin the group, but under close medical supervision. Caution is essential: Bellingham will not start against RCD Mallorca and almost certainly will not start in the first leg against FC Bayern Munich either. He will be in the squad for both matches and available to get some minutes, but his return will be gradual.

“I like players coming back from injury to progress step by step; it’s normal,” Arbeloa added. It is a principle he applies regardless of the player. He was firm with Kylian Mbappé, and he will be the same with Bellingham.

The idea, of course, is for him to eventually become a regular starter. Undisputed. But that is a medium-term objective. In the short term, the team that has been performing well will remain unchanged: Federico Valverde on the right wing, though moving freely across the pitch, Thiago Alcântara and Aurélien Tchouaméni in midfield, with Arda Güler on the left. It is the midfield that eliminated Manchester City F.C., and it is the one expected to continue given what lies ahead.

In fact, the only expected change in the starting eleven will be up front. Mbappé will start against Mallorca, sending Brahim Díaz back to the bench.

So the question of how to fit Bellingham into the team, as they say nowadays, will be a problem for the future. At some point Arbeloa will have to decide whether to bench Güler or Thiago to make room for him. But that moment will come later.

For now, he is not ready to start. Because Jude is back, but he is not quite there yet. He needs a little more time to reach 100%. Being medically cleared is one thing; being ready for the real battles is another.

He will not start against Mallorca, and almost certainly not in the first leg against Bayern either. The most realistic scenario is a full return in Munich, in two weeks. Until then, caution will remain the guiding principle.

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