Bellingham Fit To Face Atlético Madrid – Arbeloa

Real Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa has declared that Jude Bellingham is fit and available for the team’s derby clash with Atlético Madrid on Sunday, adding that he has no issues with the midfielder’s early call-up for England duty.

Bellingham has been named by Thomas Tuchel in England’s squad to play Uruguay and Japan, despite the fact that his last minutes for Madrid came on Feb. 1, when he suffered a hamstring injury.

The star travelled with Madrid’s squad in midweek for their Champions League round of 16 win over Manchester City but played no part in the game, and — speaking in a news conference on Saturday — Arbeloa confirmed that Bellingham is now ready to feature in LaLiga.

“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.”

Arbeloa said forward Kylian Mbappé was now “100%” after making his return from a knee sprain as a substitute against City, and insisted he was happy for both stars to go away with their national teams this month.

“I said that the day [Mbappé] came back he’d be at 100%,” 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%.”

Mbappé is among France coach Didier Deschamps’ players to play Brazil and Colombia during the international break.

“I think it’s great,” Arbeloa said, when asked if he thought that might be premature. “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 Mbappé, 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.”