Jose Mourinho faces Real Madrid defensive crisis before Villarreal test | OneFootball

Jose Mourinho is confronting a centre-back shortage at Real Madrid before the 10 October meeting with Villarreal, with Antonio Rudiger the only senior specialist available following the Madrid derby. Dean Huijsen serves a one-match ban after his dismissal against Atletico Madrid, while Raul Asencio has recently undergone surgery.

Marca reports that Aurelien Tchouameni is the leading candidate to step in, with Denzel Dumfries also under consideration as a makeshift option.

Mourinho has already trialled unconventional setups early in his tenure. In August, after a friendly with Alcorcon, he paired Trent Alexander-Arnold with Dumfries to explore a different defensive dynamic.

The coach has also turned to La Fabrica. Mario Rivas, Joan Martinez and Diego Aguado are being considered for a senior call-up for the La Liga fixture.

Those youngsters have trained regularly with the first team since the start of the season, a progression rather than a panic move. Mourinho was impressed by Martinez and Rivas as a centre-back pairing during pre-season, including against Fiorentina, praising their technical level.

There is encouragement on Eder Militao’s recovery too, with the Brazilian making rapid progress and said to be ahead of schedule.

For now, the priority is a stable pairing to face Villarreal, with Mourinho balancing senior adaptability against the promise of La Fabrica.

Source: Goal.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”