Real Madrid News
Real Madrid superstar’s post-injury vacation approved by Mourinho and the club – report
Real Madrid ace Kylian Mbappe escaped with a minor injury in France’s first game of the international break and was relieved from national team duty immediately by the manager Zinedine Zidane.
The current diagnosis is of a posterior capsule hyperextension of the left knee, and his recovery time is estimated to be in weeks.
Yet, it could well have been much worse and it is said that the player may well have required surgery if he had played longer.
Currently, the player continues to be in France and has not returned to Madrid.
He has been spotted with his friends and his partner, and it has unsurprisingly led to a lot of speculation on why he is on vacation when he should be working on his return.
A consensual agreement
As confirmed by AS in a recent update, however, Mbappe’s trip to his country and the time he is enjoying off with his partner and friends is not secretive. In fact, the club completely backed his vacation.
Jose Mourinho is aware of the player taking some time off in France, as are the coaching staff and the medical team of the club.
They all understand that Mbappe’s setback only requires rest and that the player returning to the Valdebebas may serve no real purpose.
His recovery plan, in that sense, is said to be ‘co-ordinated’ and ‘consensual’ as they describe it in the club offices.
The idea is that he will take his recovery slow and pace it out, likely even missing the team’s first game after the break.
A clear priority in mind
Real Madrid’s first game after the break is against Villarreal, and Mourinho and Co. prioritise the player being available in the long run over him being fit for the game against the Yellow Submarines.
The goal, quite clearly, is to have Mbappe fit and raring for the game against Barcelona later in October and the management considers his presence on that night to be fundamental.
So far, the Frenchman has been Real Madrid’s top finishing presence in the opposition box and has carried Real Madrid’s attack alongside Jude Bellingham.
The sensible idea, in that sense, would be to keep him fit and ready for the big games against Roma, Barcelona and RB Leipzig.
Real Madrid News
Mourinho sticks to his Champions League tradition ahead of Real Madrid’s clash vs AS Roma
Real Madrid are set to take on AS Roma in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday in Italy.
Having returned from the international break with a 1-0 win over Villarreal, Los Blancos will be eager to build on it and record their second win in Europe, after beating Inter Milan last month.
Mourinho continues his tradition
And, as reported by Diario AS, the Real Madrid squad trained at Valdebebas before travelling for their Champions League fixture, just as they did during Jose Mourinho’s first spell in charge between 2010 and 2013.
The approach breaks with the usual Champions League routine of training at the opposition’s stadium on the eve of a match.
Real Madrid had largely remained an exception to this trend. Mourinho was the first to change the club’s established procedure, but after his departure in 2013, the routine had returned.
Now, the club are going back to the approach he introduced. Following the training session, the squad will fly to Rome in the afternoon.
Xabi Alonso and Arbeloa followed the same approach
Xabi Alonso revived the practice last season in order to avoid giving direct access to his team’s preparations to the opposition. After Alonso’s dismissal, Alvaro Arbeloa continued the practice.
The team travel to the opposition’s stadium for the press conference, but otherwise complete their preparations at Valdebebas before flying out a few hours later.
Exceptions are made when the journey is too long to make the routine practical, as was the case with Almaty. Rome, however, is a relatively short trip, allowing Mourinho to maintain his preferred schedule.
Real Madrid’s flight is expected to depart at around 15:00, with the pre-match press conference scheduled for 18:00 at the Stadio Olimpico.
Four expected absentees
There were no new injury concerns, with Real Madrid set to travel without four players, all of whom were already expected to miss the match.
Eder Militao has returned to group training but still needs time to regain match fitness. Meanwhile, Raul Asencio remains unavailable after undergoing surgery for a fracture in his right tibia.
Ferland Mendy is also back training with his teammates but is expected to need slightly longer than Militao before returning to action. Rodrygo remains a long-term absentee.
