Jose Mourinho's Preparations Begin at Real Madrid

Jose Mourinho officially begins his work with Real Madrid next Monday, having monitored the club's activities since the end of May, when his return was agreed upon and announced on June 11.

This day will mark the start of the Portuguese coach's direct influence on the dressing room and the team's tactical plans, coinciding with an exceptional preparation period during the World Cup, although it will have a lesser impact on his plans than expected.

Mourinho will start preparations with 11 first-team players: Andriy Lunin, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Álvaro Carreiras, Dean Huysen, Raúl Asensio, Eduardo Camavinga, Gonzalo García, Franco Mastantuono, along with injured players Éder Militão, Rodrigo Goes, and Ferland Mendy, who are continuing their rehabilitation programs.

The coach will benefit from the early return of some internationals after their teams exited the group stage of the World Cup, notably Federico Valverde and Arda Güler. During the second week, he expects the arrival of German defender Antonio Rüdiger and his first summer signing Denzel Dumfries, who will immediately compete with Trent for the right-back position.

The inclusion of these players will give Mourinho the opportunity to gradually expand tactical work, alongside involving several Castilla players in training, including Palacios and Thiago Pietarch, whom the coach wishes to evaluate closely before making any decisions about their futures.

On the coaching staff level, Mourinho will return to his main office at Valdebebas after 13 years since leaving the club, having included former Real Madrid player Sami Khedira in his staff, which also includes João Tralhão, Antonio Dias, Pedro Machado, Roberto Merila, and Nuno Santos.

The Portuguese coach has decided against holding an external training camp this summer, excluding the United States due to the overlap with the World Cup, focusing all preparations in the Real Madrid sports city with friendly matches.

Real Madrid is expected to receive a postponement for their opening match in La Liga, originally scheduled between August 14 and 16 against Real Sociedad, due to some players still being involved in the later stages of the World Cup, giving Mourinho an additional week to work before the official debut of the new project, expected on August 23 against Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium.

Mourinho is still seeking to sign a box-to-box midfielder, alongside potential adjustments to the outgoing list after Fran García's transfer to Real Betis. He also intends to personally evaluate Camavinga and Gonzalo, especially since the coach feels the need for a traditional center-forward, while he sees Endrick fitting different attacking roles, giving Gonzalo a real chance to remain in the new season's project.