Benched Mbappe says he’s fourth-choice forward at Real Madrid under Arbeloa

Striker jeered by own fans as he came off bench in return from injury in 2-0 La Liga win ​over Real Oviedo.Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe says coach Alvaro Arbeloa told him he was the “fourth forward” in the squad before benching him against Real Oviedo.The France captain returned from a thigh problem in a 2-0 win over Oviedo on Thursday, but his appearance as a 69th-minute substitute was greeted by whistles from Madrid’s own disgruntled supporters at the Santiago Bernabeu.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Mitoma fails to make Japan’s 2026 World Cup squad due to hamstring injurylist 2 of 4FIFA warned ‘gruelling heat’ could impact a quarter of World Cup gameslist 3 of 4FIFA World Cup 2026: What to expect from the new 48-team formatlist 4 of 4Israeli minister blasts Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal for Palestinian flag waveend of listMadrid fans have criticised their top goalscorer in recent weeks for a perceived lack of commitment, with Mbappe not fit to play in the Clasico last weekend, where Barcelona beat Madrid to clinch the Spanish title.Arbeloa started with Vinicius Junior, Franco Mastantuono and Gonzalo Garcia in attack against Oviedo, with Mbappe not having played for almost three weeks.“I am very good, at 100 percent, I didn’t play because the coach told me that for him I’m the fourth forward of the squad, behind Mastantuono, Vinicius and Gonzalo,” Mbappe told reporters after the game.The forward earned an assist with a pass to Jude Bellingham, also a substitute, for Madrid’s second goal.“In the end, I accept it [being on the bench], and I play the time I had to play,” continued the striker.Fans were unhappy about Mbappe travelling to Sardinia on holiday while recovering from his injury.The striker downplayed the importance of his trip.“I had the club’s permission to be away from Madrid,” Mbappe said. “I wasn’t the only one, but you have to accept it and move on. I can easily turn this situation around.”Madrid coach Arbeloa said in his post-match news conference that he had not told Mbappe he had dropped down the pecking order.