Real Madrid manager Rafa Benitez has left Karim Benzema out of the squad that will face Sevilla on Sunday in La Liga, despite the Frenchman is completely recovered from his muscle injury.
The France international has had a tough week after being charged over his alleged involvement in a blackmail plot against Mathieu Valbuena.
Yet, Benitez has claimed that has nothing to do with the striker not being picked for Sevilla’s game: “We’ve decided to leave him here so he can get back to 100% fitness. He’s in good spirits, but he won’t be travelling to Seville. On a personal level, the club sent out a statement that we all agree with and there’s not much else to say about the matter. He returned the other day, trained, did his work for that day and that’s all I’m going to say. Karim has our full support.”
On the other hand, Gareth Bale will travel to Seville, although he’s not expected to feature in the starting line-up: “We still have to finalise the final squad for this game, but Gareth will be included. If he’s made it into the squad that means there’s a chance he’ll play, but we still have to see for how long.”
I can’t understand why leaving your best striker out if he is fit to play? Really the coaching staff have to think twice before making their decision. Right now, they are not helping the team enough.