Real Madrid News
Real Madrid midfielder determined to impress Jose Mourinho amid Manchester United links
Eduardo Camavinga has no intention of walking away from Real Madrid this summer despite growing interest from Manchester United, with the midfielder fully focused on convincing José Mourinho that he deserves an important role next season.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Manchester United are exploring the possibility of signing the French international, but the player’s priority is to fight for his place and use pre-season to prove his value to the new head coach.
Camavinga sees pre-season as his opportunity
Camavinga understands that his future at Real Madrid will largely depend on what happens over the coming weeks.
The midfielder is aware that Mourinho has given every player the chance to earn their place and that reputations alone will not guarantee regular minutes.
That has motivated the Frenchman to approach pre-season with renewed determination, believing strong performances can re-establish him as an important part of the squad.
Simply put, Camavinga’s Real Madrid future is in his own hands. The 23-year-old has prepared extensively during the summer break because he knows he is likely to receive valuable opportunities in pre-season fixtures.
If he performs at the level that made him one of Europe’s most highly rated young midfielders, Camavinga believes Mourinho will have every reason to include him in his long-term plans.
Manchester United monitoring as club weigh options
While the player remains committed to staying, interest from the Premier League has not disappeared.
Fabrizio Romano reports that Manchester United continue exploring a move, recognising that Camavinga’s situation at Real Madrid has become less certain after a challenging campaign.
The French international endured an injury-disrupted season and also struggled to establish himself consistently under previous coaches, leading to questions about his long-term role at the club.
Following a second consecutive season without major silverware, Real Madrid are expected to evaluate several members of the squad, and Camavinga is among the players whose future could come under discussion.
However, Real Madrid’s transfer plans have not yet reached that stage.
The club has not placed Camavinga on the market, with Mourinho expected to make his assessment after working with the midfielder throughout pre-season.
Only once those evaluations are complete will the club have a clearer picture of who forms part of the project for the 2026/27 campaign.
Real Madrid’s adventure so far under new coach Jose Mourinho has been far from perfect and this fact shouldn’t be lost even after the team’s brilliant comeback win over AS Roma in midweek.
However, there are areas where Los Blancos have shown a clear improvement under Mourinho, when compared to previous bosses such as Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa.
One of those areas has been set plays, with Real Madrid appearing far more potent from set pieces this season.
A clear improvement from last season
As reported by Diario AS, the three goals in Rome, all from Arda Guler corners inside a seven-minute blitz, were the perfect advert for the work being done at Valdebebas.
Those strikes took Real Madrid’s set-piece tally to seven goals in just ten matches this season. Four of them have come in La Liga, one from a corner and three from free kicks, with the trio in Rome completing the haul.
It is a striking figure when set against last season’s return. Under Alonso and Arbeloa, Madrid managed 12 set-piece goals across the entire campaign, all in La Liga, split evenly between six from corners and six from free kicks.
On current trends, this side looks well placed to surpass that number comfortably.
The reason behind Real Madrid’s improvement
Attacking set pieces are led at Valdebebas by Pedro Machado, with the whole coaching staff involved and Mourinho himself giving the final green light on every routine.
Defending them, meanwhile, falls to Sami Khedira, though it is treated as a collective effort. Mourinho’s appreciation of that teamwork was clear when Bellingham headed in a Guler free kick against Espanyol, prompting the manager to leap up and embrace his assistants.
Machado, one of Mourinho’s most trusted lieutenants, has followed him from Fenerbahce to Benfica and now Madrid, part of a backroom team blending experience with young, ambitious talent.
On the pitch, Guler is the undisputed master when available, his left foot the key weapon, with Bernardo Silva, Trent Alexander-Arnold and even Diomande also trusted to initiate attacks.
Such meticulous strategy has helped Real Madrid turn into a potent side from set-pieces this season.
