Real Madrid News
Real Madrid forward’s recovery from long-term injury ‘on track’, player in good spirits
Real Madrid have just two representatives in the Brazilian national team at the upcoming FIFA World Cup, and it is unfortunate that two others did not make the cut.
While Eder Militao missed out owing to his fitness struggles and lack of regular minutes, Rodrygo misses out after he suffered a devastating ACL injury with a meniscal tear.
Initial projections reported a six to seven-month layoff period for the star winger, definitively ruling him out of the World Cup and the beginning of the next club campaign.
Recovery on track
Now, as reported by Ben Fernandes Santos in a recent update, Rodrygo is doing very well and is making progress on his recovery from the season-ending setback.
The player is happy, in good spirits and even meeting all the recovery milestones that were set for him by his trainers and the doctors. He is, thus, on track to return as per the initial projections.
As it stands, it is unlikely that the player will feature again in 2026, and all signs point to him being phased back into action only in early 2027. He is, however, doing everything in his power to hasten the recovery.
Out of the project?
While Rodrygo has been indispensable for Real Madrid over the years, word has it that the soon-to-be Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho does not rate the Brazilian highly.
In fact, the Portuguese manager is said to see the player out of his project at the club, and it is thus unlikely that the player will see many minutes even after his recovery.
Given that Rodrygo will undoubtedly stay at the club next season, he will have six months to prove his worth to the manager once he returns in January. Given that he is just returning from a long-term injury, however, it is easier said than done.
After a month into the new season, Aurelien Tchouameni is finally back in action for Real Madrid.
The Frenchman made his first appearance of the season for the Merengues last night against Inter Milan after recovering from the muscular injury that delayed his campaign.
His return to fitness had raised questions over where he would fit into Mourinho’s plans.
Tchouameni has been a regular in Real Madrid’s midfield for several seasons under different managers, but the end of last season was far less straightforward.
His confrontation with Federico Valverde, combined with speculation over his future at the club, created uncertainty about his position. His lack of a proper pre-season also appeared to put him behind other midfield options.
Bernardo Silva had established himself as an important figure, while Eduardo Camavinga was also ahead of Tchouameni in terms of match fitness.
With Real Madrid looking for greater creativity in midfield, there were questions over whether the Frenchman would still be a first-choice player.
Key for Mourinho
According to AS (h/t Bernabeu Digital), however, Mourinho has no such doubts. Tchouameni remains a key player for the Portuguese coach and is expected to be a starter.
Mourinho sees the French international as a midfielder without a direct replacement in the squad.
For Jose, Tchouameni provides something that none of the other midfielders in the squad do – a more defensive and positional presence, combining his tactical discipline with considerable physical strength.
His ability to shield the defence and provide balance could be particularly important for a Real Madrid side that want to defend aggressively and attack quickly in transition.
For that reason, his absence at the start of the campaign has not changed the manager’s view of his importance.
Mourinho faces a midfield selection problem
The challenge for Mourinho now is finding a way to fit all the pieces together.
If Tchouameni is guaranteed a starting position and Valverde is considered untouchable as captain, the obvious consequence is that Bernardo could find himself starting from the bench.
The summer arrival had been given an important role in helping Real Madrid control and distribute possession from deeper positions.
However, with Tchouameni and Valverde both occupying midfield places, Mourinho cannot accommodate everyone in the same lineup.
How the Portuguese coach manages that competition will be interesting to see in the coming weeks.
