Mourinho begins Real Madrid tenure with bare-bones squad

José Mourinho returns to the helm of Real Madrid on Monday, embarking on his second stint as manager, but faces an immediate challenge with a severely depleted squad due to the ongoing World Cup.

The Portuguese coach, chosen to revitalize a team that has failed to secure any titles in the past two seasons, will be far from having his full complement of players available. The tournament in the United States, Mexico, and Canada has significantly impacted the team's roster for the start of pre-season.

Players whose national teams have been eliminated from the World Cup will enjoy extended holidays before rejoining the team. This includes Vinícius Júnior, Fede Valverde, Arda Güler, Thibaut Courtois, Antonio Rüdiger, Brahim Díaz, and new signings Denzel Dumfries and Bernardo Díaz. Meanwhile, stars like Jude Bellingham, Kylian Mbappé, Aurélien Tchouaméni, Ibrahima Konaté, and Marc Cucurella are still engaged in the World Cup semifinals with their respective countries.

Compounding Mourinho's challenges are the injuries to Éder Militao, Rodrygo Goes, and Ferland Mendy. Consequently, the manager will only have eight players at his disposal for his first training session back at the club, thirteen years after concluding his initial tenure from 2010 to 2013. The available players for medical checks and the first training session include Andriy Lunin, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Álvaro Carreras, Dean Huijsen, Eduardo Camavinga, Gonzalo García, and Franco Mastantuono. The team is preparing for two confirmed friendlies: against Fiorentina on August 1 in Klagenfurt, Austria, and against Deportivo de La Coruña on August 12 in Riazor.