Arbeloa calmed Mbappé row, opens door to Mourinho: «He’s number one» | OneFootball

The coach tried to ease tensions after the clash with the Frenchman and praised the Portuguese manager, while doubts about his future continue to grow. »

Álvaro Arbeloa tried to defuse the internal controversy at Real Madrid after the heated media clash with Kylian Mbappé. In a press conference, the coach downplayed the conflict with the French forward and said that the relationship between them had not changed despite the statements made after the match against Oviedo.

“I just saw him now, on my way up here, and I already told him to stay calm, that I would take care of it”, the manager said before going into more detail about the situation. As he explained, the private conversation with the attacker had happened beforehand, and he was not surprised by the player’s frustration at having started on the bench.

“I know Kylian wasn’t happy the other day, and I like that. I wouldn’t understand it if he didn’t want to play for Madrid”, said the former defender. He also clarified that the decision was due to the player’s physical condition after recovering from an injury and stressed that he planned to give him more minutes against Sevilla.

The conflict erupted after the World Cup winner publicly said that the coach had told him he was “the fourth striker in the squad, behind Mastantuono, Vini and Gonzalo”. That phrase caused a stir because the manager denied ever saying it and blamed the episode on a misunderstanding.

In the middle of a tense week at the Bernabéu, the Real Madrid boss rejected the idea of a dressing room out of control. “I’m not afraid that they might talk about any of the conversations”, he said when asked about the public exposure of the conversation with the Frenchman.

At the same time, the Spaniard made a remark that fueled rumors about the future of the Madrid bench. Asked about José Mourinho, he did not hesitate to praise the Portuguese and admitted he would welcome his return to the Bernabéu. “I feel he is number one. He was, he is, and he always will be, uno di noi”, he said of the man who coached him between 2010 and 2013. And he added: “If he is here next season, I will be very happy to see him back home”.

While Florentino Pérez also recently highlighted the Portuguese coach’s legacy, Arbeloa himself left behind comments with a farewell tone. “These four months have been a huge learning experience”, said the coach, who praised his time leading the team at the highest level and left the door open to a departure in the short term.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.