Three Real Madrid starlets Mourinho sees as emergency centre-back options – report | OneFootball

It is only September, and Real Madrid are already on the verge of a defensive crisis with injuries hitting key names.

Eder Militao has been out of action for a long time now, and while his return is close, it is a long way before he emerges as a regular name in the starting lineup. 

Ibrahima Konate, who arrived in the summer to add depth at centre-back, meanwhile, was injured during the international break and there is a grey area around when he will return in full capacity.

A third blow recently hit Los Blancos as Raul Asencio was confirmed to have undergone surgery, ruling him out in the medium term as well. Needless to say, the department suddenly appears fragile.

Three academy standouts

Joan Martinez is a top talent. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)

Jose Mourinho has not particularly shown any interest in promoting homegrown academy stars so far this season, but Defensa Central bring to light that he is now seriously considering that route at centre-back.

The manager has three players as his backup resources in the department – Diego Aguado, Joan Martinez and Oscar Naasei.

The former two players have already been monitored closely by the management in pre-season and have been considered top defensive prospects for a long time now.

Naasei, meanwhile, only arrived in the summer and has stood out with his quality.

With Mourinho looking towards them as realistic options for the first time, they could well earn call-ups and minutes in the coming months, especially if Los Blancos are hit with any further setbacks. His faith in the players, after all, is complete.

The vicious cycle

Mourinho must have patience with the youngsters. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

Naasei, Martinez and Aguado are all highly rated young prospects who have sparked interest from several first-division teams. Yet, they continue to be at Real Madrid only because they deeply desire to make it big at the club.

The current situation, in that sense, marks a special opportunity for all three youngsters as it is the closest they have been to earning minutes under Mourinho. Yet, they stare at a difficult vicious cycle that they must break free from.

As standouts of the Castilla side, there is no doubt that they have the potential to make it massive at the elite level. To do so, however, they require the first-team manager to trust them and back them at their lows.

To earn that same trust, however, they have to show the manager their potential, which again brings their situation to square one.

Patience, in that sense, is the key ingredient in enabling a young prospect to become an elite name. If Mourinho opts to hand one of the three their chance, he must thus stay patient and give them an adaptation window.