Mourinho: Anyone wanting to sign Endrick will have to fight me

José Mourinho, the manager of Real Madrid, has clarified his stance on the rumors regarding the potential departure of Brazilian forward Endrick during the January transfer window, confirming his commitment to the player and rejecting the idea of him leaving on loan.

Jose Mourinho, speaking to TNT Sports about clubs interested in signing Endrick, said: "Endrick? Forget it, forget it, forget the interested clubs. It is better for them to sit and wait, otherwise they will tire themselves out."

The Portuguese coach added: "He is a player I adore, and I believe he has immense potential, and he is very important for us. After the pre-season period, he suffered an injury that kept him out of action for more than a month, around four or five weeks, which prevented him from participating at the start of the season."

José Mourinho explained the reasons for the player's absence after recovering from injury: "Yes, that's true, I spoke to him personally and told him that after his recovery we didn't give him the opportunity in that match. Fortunately for us and unfortunately for him, when we scored the goal, he was about to enter the pitch."

The coach explained: "Endrick and Bernardo were about to participate against Villarreal at the moment we scored the goal, but after taking the lead and playing with ten men, it is natural for the coach to change his ideas and have other options."

Mourinho concluded his statements by affirming his commitment to Brazilian forward Endrick, saying: "Any club interested in him will have to fight me a lot, because I believe he does not need to go out on loan, and that he will achieve great success here."