Real Madrid News
The six players Jose Mourinho considers the ‘core’ of his project – report
Arriving as Real Madrid’s new manager, Jose Mourinho was always going to shake up Real Madrid’s pecking order across all departments.
The experienced manager, after all, has all the backing he can ask for from the club president Florentino Perez and has even been handed a free hand in taking transfer decisions.
All that has been asked of him is to restore order in Real Madrid’s dressing room and bring the team back to winning titles, and Mourinho has been working on finding the best working combination on that front.
Six pillars of the team
As reported by Diario AS in a recent report, six Real Madrid players are guaranteed to start under Jose Mourinho next season. The manager rates their profiles highly and sees them as a ‘core’ of his project.
The first name is Thibaut Courtois in goal, and unsurprisingly so given how the player has been ever so reliable despite being at the twilight of his career. He will continue to start in goal without any doubt.
In defence, the only guaranteed starter is Marc Cucurella, the new left-back Real Madrid signed this summer. The player has had a stunning World Cup campaign and will replace Alvaro Carreras as the team’s first-choice left-back.
Two midfielders are guaranteed starters – Jude Bellingham and Federico Valverde. While the former is expected to play in an advanced attacking midfield role as he did in the World Cup, the Uruguayan will be deeper seated.
Finally, Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. are both assured a place in the team’s starting XI at centre-forward and left-wing respectively, and understandably so.
A phased return for the starters
Unfortunately for Mourinho, a sizeable chunk of his ‘core’ players will be unavailable for most of pre-season, implying that he will have to directly count on the players for the beginning of the season without much preparation.
Valverde will be the first to return to pre-season from the aforementioned list given Uruguay’s group stage elimination, and he could well return by next week.
Vinicius Jr. and the Brazilian contingent will return to training at the end of the month, and Thibaut Courtois likely a week later given that Belgium progressed until the quarterfinal.
Mbappe, Bellingham and Cucurella, however, will only return just before the new season as they still have games to play in the competition.
While France and England will play for third place later today, Cucurella will play the final against Argentina tomorrow.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid defender takes major step towards comeback; set for return after international break
Real Madrid are finally beginning to see a clear path back for Eder Militao, with the defender now in the final phase of his rehabilitation and increasingly expected to return after the next international break.
Militao has been sidelined since suffering a tear to the proximal biceps femoris tendon in his left leg during the meeting with Alaves last April.
The injury required surgery, but his recovery has now reached a stage where his return can be discussed in more concrete terms.
Militao steps up rehabilitation at Valdebebas
While Real Madrid completed their preparations for Tuesday night’s trip to Elche, Militao was working separately from the main group at the Valdebebas Training Centre.
According to Mundo Deportivo, the Brazilian defender carried out specific exercises with the club’s rehabilitation staff and physiotherapists on pitches 1 and 2.
The work represents another step in a recovery process that has kept him away from competitive action for several months.
Mind you, Militao will not be involved against Elche, but the latest signs are considerably more encouraging for what comes next.
Return now expected after international break
The timeline surrounding Militao’s comeback is finally becoming clearer. Provided his recovery continues at its current pace, Real Madrid expect the centre-back to be available to Mourinho once the international break is over.
That break is scheduled to take place from the end of September into the first week of October, meaning Militao could be back by mid-October at the latest.
For a defender who has endured another significant spell on the sidelines, simply having a defined target gives an important moment in his rehabilitation.
Real Madrid still missing players
Militao’s progress is particularly welcome because Real Madrid continue to deal with several absences in the squad.
On that note, Rodrygo and Ferland Mendy remain on the injury list and are not expected to return as quickly as Militao.
Both these players are therefore ruled out of the Elche fixture, leaving Mourinho without several established options.
Beyond Elche, though, Militao’s return offers Real Madrid something far more valuable: another experienced defensive option for the demanding weeks ahead.
After surgery and months of rehabilitation, the Brazilian is now entering the final stretch, and if there are no setbacks, Real Madrid could have their defender back in the squad around the middle of October.
