José Mourinho gets two more ‘signings’

Good news continues to arrive for José Mourinho. After the second friendly, or training match, against Leganés, which was comfortably won 4-1, two more World Cup players, Endrick and Rüdiger, have returned to training. The Brazilian and the German join those who had already resumed work earlier: Güler, Valverde and Dumfries. As a result, only a handful of players are still yet to report back.

The next group to return will include Vinicius, Brahim, Courtois and Bernardo Silva, while those who reached the latter stages of the World Cup — Bellingham, Tchouameni, Mbappé, Konaté and Cucurella — are expected back in the second week of August.

Both Endrick and Rüdiger underwent the required medical examinations before reporting to Mourinho. The German played a prominent role for his national team after Schlotterbeck’s injury and finished the tournament as a starter. His knee problems have subsided following treatment in London, and he is expected to be one of the pillars of Mourinho’s project. If Konaté has been signed to start, Rüdiger will compete for the other centre-back spot with Huijsen and Asencio. For now, he appears to be ahead of both, while Asencio continues to look likely to leave.

Endrick’s situation also appears to be becoming clearer after he was forced to join Olympique Lyonnais on loan during last season’s winter transfer window. Xabi Alonso preferred Gonzalo, a decision that ultimately pushed Endrick to accept the move. Now, however, Gonzalo seems set to be sold to Fulham. Endrick’s decision has proved a wise one, especially after earning a call-up to the recent World Cup squad under Ancelotti. At Lyon, he made 21 appearances, scoring eight goals and providing nine assists, and emerged as one of the standout attractions in Ligue 1.

Mourinho’s plan is for both players to begin building up minutes, although it appears too soon for them to travel to Klagenfurt for Real Madrid’s friendly against Fiorentina. They should, however, be available for the match against Ferencváros in Budapest on August 8.

These early fixtures will be particularly important for Endrick. Mourinho intends to use him as Mbappé’s understudy through the middle, the role in which he believes the Brazilian can perform best, although deploying him on the wing remains another option. In any case, Gonzalo’s presence will continue to loom large until the Fulham transfer is officially completed.

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