Is Jude Bellingham injured? Real Madrid update on midfielder’s fitness after seeing England star limp out of win over Rayo Vallecano

Injury fears were raised when England international Bellingham was forced off four minutes from the end of the Blancos’ latest La Liga fixture. He was replaced by Brahim Diaz and appeared to be in some discomfort as he made his way to the bench.

Bellingham had returned to Real’s starting XI against Vallecano after completing a two-match ban for telling a match referee to “f*ck off”. He looked lively as Kylian Mbappe’s 29th goal of the season and a stunning solo effort from Vinicius Junior set Real up for a narrow victory at Santiago Bernabeu.

Ancelotti will hope to have Bellingham at his disposal for two crucial matches prior to the next international break, while England will be sweating on the 21-year-old’s condition. Real’s boss told reporters when asked for a fitness update: “Jude Bellingham just has a small knock, nothing serious.”

Real are set to face cross-city rivals Atletico in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 encounter on Wednesday, with the Blancos leading 2-1 on aggregate. They will then travel to Villarreal on Saturday before a collection of international superstars head off with their respective countries.