Real Madrid injury nightmare continues as worrying early-season trend refuses to disappear | OneFootball

Real Madrid hoped Jose Mourinho’s return would help bring an end to the injury problems that have repeatedly disrupted the squad.

Two months into the new season, however, there has been virtually no improvement, as the numbers suggest.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Madrid have already suffered nine injuries this season, exactly the same number they had recorded at this stage of the previous campaign.

Six Real Madrid players currently sidelined

Mourinho currently has six players in the treatment room: Kylian Mbappe, Federico Valverde, Ibrahima Konate, Rodrygo, Eder Militao and Ferland Mendy.

Rodrygo and Mendy are long-term absentees, while Madrid must monitor Mbappe, Valverde and Konate to determine whether they can return against Villarreal.

It continues an extraordinary sequence for a club that suffered 60 separate injuries last season.

Kylian Mbappe suffered an injury on international duty. (Photo by Burak Kara/Getty Images)

Only Vinicius Junior, Gonzalo Garcia, Brahim Diaz and Fran Garcia avoided injury throughout that campaign.

While they may not be the only reason, the physical problems became one of the major explanations for why Madrid finished the season without silverware.

Mourinho’s changes have not solved the problem yet

Madrid did not ignore the issue during the summer.

Mourinho arrived with Sandro Carrico from Benfica to oversee the club’s Sports Sciences department, with injury prevention and managing the physical impact of accumulated workloads among his areas of responsibility.

Yet the early numbers underline why there was never going to be an instant solution. Nine injuries by this point in consecutive seasons suggest the problem is more deep-rooted.

Carlo Ancelotti, Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa were all affected before Mourinho encountered the same problem.

Madrid need the international break to help

There is some encouragement around Militao, who has already been working alongside the group at Valdebebas.

Eder Militao is back in training at Real Madrid. (Picture credit: Real Madrid official website)

However, Madrid’s concern goes beyond simply getting through the Villarreal match. Mourinho needs availability to build his project.

Losing Mbappe, Valverde and Konate together would hurt almost any side, regardless of its depth.

There is no quick fix to fitness issues, and Madrid need to get greater depth on exactly why these injury problems keep cropping up.

It remains to be seen how Mourinho goes about managing the absences and whether the injury record improves over the course of the campaign.