Real Madrid defender to receive medical green light this week | OneFootball

Real Madrid were very light on central defenders for their victory over Espanyol in their opening match of the 2026-27 season on Saturday night. Jose Mourinho started with Ibrahima Konate and Dean Huijsen with Antonio Rudiger on the bench alongside La Fabrica centre-back Mario Rivas, who deputised due to Eder Militao and Raul Asencio being unavailable.

The latter, who was expected to leave this summer after being told he was not part of Mourinho’s plans for the 2026-27 season, saw his exit chances reduce significantly when he picked up an injury during a training session in July. He was expected to be ruled out until September, although he is in line to return earlier than expected.

As per Diario AS, Asencio is back in training with Real Madrid. He’s projected to return to the group later in the week, and if that is the case, he would be expected to be named in the matchday squad for next weekend’s match against Malaga.

Will Asencio still be a Real Madrid player next week?

Asencio’s return comes at a good time for Real Madrid, as they have three matches in eight days. Mourinho is unlikely to be willing to use the likes of Konate and Rudiger as starters in quick succession due to a possible injury risk, which is why it will be important for the La Fabrica graduate to be back in contention on Sunday against Malaga.

However, the flip-side of Asencio returning to action quicker than expected is that it opens the door slightly on a possible exit before the summer transfer window closes on Monday. The player himself has absolutely no intention of entertaining any offers that come his way, although his stance could change if he starts to accept that Mourinho does not fancy him for a prominent place in his squad.