He has a lot of quality – Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso praises Jude Bellingham

Xabi Alonso says he “loves” what England midfielder Jude Bellingham gives to Real Madrid.

Bellingham scored his first goal of the Alonso era on Sunday as Real Madrid made light of Raul Asencio’s early red card to beat Mexican side Pachuca 3-1 at the Club World Cup.

Los Blancos will complete their group programme against RB Salzburg in Philadelphia knowing victory will take them into the round of 16 as Group H winners.

Both teams are level on four points after two games, with Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal on two.

“Obviously, he is going to continue being a key player for us,” Real manager Alonso said of Bellingham at his pre-match press conference.

“I love what he does in the centre of the field and how he participates in all the plays.

“He has a lot of quality, we saw it against Pachuca, and we are always close to him.

“Jude has a lot of ambition, he wants to improve and continue growing, and we want to continue seeing how he grows.”

Kylian Mbappe has been left out of the Real squad, despite returning to training on Wednesday following illness.

The France forward has yet to feature in the tournament.

Alonso said: “I was happy to see him on the field, but it was the first day he put on his boots and it’s not good.

“We have talked about it ourselves after training and he prefers to be recovering and preparing for the round of 16.”

Ferland Mendy and Eduardo Camavinga also remain out as Real renew rivalries with Austrian opponents they thrashed 5-1 in the Champions League in January.

Alonso said: “We have two objectives to win and finish first in the group.

“In the last match we had good feelings, despite having one less player, both with and without the ball.

“Hopefully the same can happen with Salzburg, who are a dynamic and intense opponent.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea to think that I’m not going to win the match, that’s not a message for anyone.

“We don’t want to propose something that is not clear and objective other than winning.

“Obviously, I have seen the table, but, obviously, we are going to win.

“For us, it (Club World Cup) is the most important title at this time. It is going to be demanding without a doubt, but we want to try.”

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