Quizzed on whether Mbappe is suffering from mere discomfort or a potentially problematic injury, Arbeloa added: “I couldn’t tell you the difference between discomfort and an injury. When he stops, it’s because we believe it’s necessary since he doesn’t feel comfortable or at ease. If he doesn’t play, it’s because I understand he’s injured. When discomfort prevents you from playing, if we want to call it an injury, we can call it an injury, but it seems to be, and I hope it is, not a serious injury, a minor issue, and he can return in a few days or weeks.
“We have a diagnosis, but I’m not the one to disclose such data about the players’ health. We are very clear about what was happening, what has happened, and what’s happening now. We want him to recover, be at 100%, and that’s why we decided he should stop.”
While Mbappe’s fitness remains a concern, Arbeloa has revealed that Raul Asencio - who took a nasty tumble against Benfica and left the field in a neck brace - has suffered no lasting damage. He said of the 23-year-old defender: “It seems like Asencio's injury is not very bad. It's a neck thing.”