Real Madrid interim head coach Alvaro Arbeloa has brushed aside the significance of Kylian Mbappe liking a social media post backing José Mourinho as the club's next manager, insisting the gesture carries no weight with him.

"These are things I don't even consider," Arbeloa said ahead of Friday's match against Real Betis. "It doesn't bother me if he gives a like to Mourinho, Julia Roberts or anyone else. It has no importance."

Pressure mounts at the Bernabéu

The comment comes at a turbulent moment for Los Blancos. Madrid are out of all cup competitions and sit nine points behind Barcelona with six games remaining in La Liga, leaving them on course to finish the season without a trophy. That barren run has sharpened scrutiny on Arbeloa and his prospects of remaining in charge beyond this campaign.

Real president Florentino Perez is expected to review his managerial options at the end of the season. Mourinho, currently at the helm of Benfica, has emerged as one of the names linked with a return to the Spanish capital.

Mourinho previously managed Real Madrid from 2010 to 2013, claiming La Liga with a record-breaking 100-point haul, the Copa del Rey, and the Spanish Super Cup during that tenure.

The post that sparked the speculation

Fans noticed that Mbappe had liked a social media post drawing attention to Mourinho's win rate during his earlier spell at the club and his influence on Cristiano Ronaldo. The like was enough to fuel fresh speculation about the direction the club's hierarchy might take this summer.

Arbeloa, however, refused to be drawn into the narrative, pivoting instead to the demands of the present. "My responsibility is to win every game, that's how I see it and that's what I ask of the players," he said. "We have to be professional and respectful of the badge."

He also addressed his approach to man-management at the highest level. "My role isn't to motivate Real Madrid players. They already set the highest standards for themselves. My job is to prepare them for what they'll face on the pitch."

Julia Roberts' unlikely football cameo

Arbeloa's mention of the American actor Julia Roberts is not without football precedent. In 2023, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola named Roberts as one of his three personal idols, alongside Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods.

What comes next for Madrid

Madrid now face three consecutive away fixtures, the most significant of which is the El Clásico trip to Barcelona on 10 May, before rounding off the campaign with two home games and one further away match. With the title race effectively out of reach, how Arbeloa navigates these final games could yet influence Perez's thinking on the club's managerial future.