Kylian Mbappé was notably absent as Álvaro Arbeloa oversaw his first training session as Real Madrid head coach on Tuesday, following his appointment as successor to Xabi Alonso.

Arbeloa was confirmed in the role on Monday and is set to take charge of his first match on Wednesday, when Madrid face Albacete in the Copa del Rey. The French forward is not expected to feature in that fixture.

Mbappé recently returned from a knee sprain as a late substitute in Sunday’s Spanish Super Cup final defeat to Barcelona, but he is expected to continue his recovery programme ahead of next Tuesday’s Champions League clash against his former club, Monaco. A Real Madrid source told AFP that Mbappé’s absence from training was “logical” given his ongoing knee issue.

Alonso had previously acknowledged that deploying Madrid’s top scorer against Barcelona in Saudi Arabia was a calculated risk. The former coach was dismissed after less than eight months in charge and confirmed his departure in a message on social media.

“Things didn’t go as I would have liked,” the Basque coach wrote on Instagram on Tuesday. “Coaching Real Madrid was an honour and a responsibility. I’m grateful to the club, the players and above all the fans for their confidence and support.

“I leave respectfully, with gratitude, and with the pride of having done the best I could.”

Arbeloa now begins his tenure tasked with steadying the club and refocusing attention on domestic and European competition.