Jose Mourinho Faces Defensive Dilemma at Real Madrid
Real Madrid’s season is barely underway and already Jose Mourinho is juggling at centre-back.
For the opening win over Espanyol, the Portuguese coach went with an improvised pairing of Ibrahima Konate and Dean Huijsen. Antonio Rudiger, normally one of the first names on the teamsheet, started on the bench. Alongside him sat Mario Rivas, a La Fabrica product drafted in because the options had thinned alarmingly.
Eder Militao was out. So was Raul Asencio.
From the exit door to the treatment room
Asencio’s case has been one of the more curious subplots of Madrid’s summer. Told he was not in Mourinho’s plans for the 2026-27 campaign, the centre-back looked set to move on. Then everything stalled.
During a training session in July, Asencio picked up an injury that was initially expected to keep him out until September. Any transfer momentum disappeared. Interest cooled. A player seemingly on his way out suddenly found himself stuck: unavailable on the pitch, unwanted in the plans, and with the market ticking away.
The calendar suggested a long wait. His recovery has told a different story.
Early return, new dilemma
According to Diario AS, Asencio is already back in training with Real Madrid. The plan is for him to rejoin full group sessions later this week. If that schedule holds, he is expected to be in contention for a place in the matchday squad for next weekend’s fixture against Malaga.
The timing could hardly be better for Mourinho. Madrid face three matches in eight days, a demanding stretch for any squad, let alone one light in central defence. Konate and Rudiger are too important to be run into the ground in quick succession, especially this early in the season when muscular problems tend to surface.
That is where Asencio comes back into the frame. A La Fabrica graduate, he offers a ready-made rotation option just as the schedule tightens. If he is fit enough, Sunday against Malaga could mark his return to the bench, and perhaps the pitch.
Staying or going?
His comeback, though, carries a twist.
By returning earlier than expected, Asencio not only strengthens Mourinho’s hand for this congested run, he also reopens the possibility of a late move before the transfer window shuts on Monday. A fit defender is always easier to place than an injured one, and rival clubs will know he has been told he is not central to the coach’s long-term plans.
For now, the player’s stance is clear: he has no intention of listening to offers. He wants to stay and fight for his place at Real Madrid. That conviction has not wavered, even as his name has circulated quietly in the background of the market.
The question is whether that resolve survives if the reality of his role becomes impossible to ignore. If Mourinho continues to look elsewhere when it matters, if minutes do not follow this early return, does Asencio still see his future in white?
By the time Malaga leave the Bernabeu and the window closes, everyone will have an answer.
