Real Madrid News
Real Madrid defender out for two weeks with muscle strain after exclusion for Fiorentina friendly
Real Madrid have announced the squad list of players that will fly to Austria for the pre-season friendly against Fiorentina tomorrow.
Two of the new signings, who have already begun training – Denzel Dumfries and Carlos Espi – have been included in the squad.
A number of youth team prospects such as Dani Yanez, Jacobo Ortega, Joan Martinez, and Jesus Fortea, among others, are also on the list.
Among the notable absentees who have been doing pre-season training under Jose Mourinho happen to be Franco Mastantuono and Dean Huijsen.
While Mastantuono’s absence is related to his imminent loan departure, the situation with Huijsen is different.
Huijsen injured
Indeed, according to MARCA, Huijsen has been left behind in Madrid by Mourinho as he is dealing with an injury.
The Spanish international has picked up a muscle strain which will sideline him for two weeks, resulting in his absence from the squad for the Fiorentina friendly.
Given the expected absence, Huijsen appears set to miss the upcoming matches against Ferencvaros and Deportivo La Coruna as well.
The centre-back will hope to be ready in time for Real Madrid’s trip to Germany to face Schalke, which will be their final pre-season friendly before the start of their La Liga campaign.
Blow for Huijsen
After a mixed debut campaign, during which he experienced some highs and some lows, Huijsen came into pre-season intent on proving himself and establishing himself in new manager Mourinho’s plan.
And, while he did get minutes against Alcorcon and Leganes, the injury will come as a bitter blow, considering that the competition for places at centre-back is heating up.
Antonio Rudiger has returned to pre-season training and although he is not travelling to Austria, so as to build his fitness, he will be a frontrunner for a starting spot.
New signing Ibrahima Konate, who will arrive in a couple of weeks after his World Cup break, will also push for a starting berth. Meanwhile, Eder Militao’s recovery from injury is also progressing well.
As such, the injury to Huijsen comes at an inopportune moment, denying him the chance to nail down his place in Mourinho’s team.
The Spaniard becomes the third Real Madrid player to be injured in pre-season, following Thiago Pitarch and Raul Asencio.
Real Madrid are all set to take on Rayo Vallecano in their fifth La Liga match of the 2026/27 season in a little over an hour at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Having lost their previous league game to Real Betis, the Merengues will be eager to get things back on track and close the gap to leaders Barcelona, who are three points clear.
Diomande’s first start
With kickoff not far away, Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has announced the starting lineup that will take the field against Rayo Vallecano.
And the biggest headline is that marquee summer signing Yan Diomande makes his first start for Real Madrid.
The €140 million arrival from RB Leipzig has been drip-fed minutes off the bench so far by the manager, but has been thrust into the team tonight, replacing Brahim Diaz on the right flank.
What it also means is that Arda Guler has been left out by Mourinho after the youngster missed the midweek clash against Inter Milan through suspension.
Bernardo Silva, who was also unavailable for the Champions League clash, is back in the double pivot for Real Madrid, where he partners club captain Federico Valverde.
Jude Bellingham continues in the attacking midfield position, while Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. retain their places in the team as well.
In defence, there are a couple of alterations as Antonio Rudiger and Alvaro Carreras come into the side at the expense of Dean Huijsen and Marc Cucurella, respectively.
Ibrahima Konate and Denzel Dumfries complete the Real Madrid backline that will shield Thibaut Courtois in goal.
📋✅ ¡Nuestro XI inicial!
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) September 12, 2026
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