Five internationals are set to return to the fold as Madrid enter the fifth week of summer preparations. Marc Cucurella, Kylian Mbappe, Aurelien Tchouameni, Ibrahima Konate, and Jude Bellingham are due to report back and undergo the standard medical checks before joining full training at the club’s facilities. For Cucurella and Konate, it will mark their first proper session as Real Madrid players after joining earlier in the summer, while the others resume their duties after international duty.
With the World Cup participants back, the challenge for Mourinho is to re-establish rhythm quickly. The returning players are naturally behind their teammates in pre-season conditioning, so the immediate task is to build peak fitness without overloading them in the early days. The squad still has two high-importance friendlies before La Liga action begins. Madrid will face Deportivo La Coruña in the Teresa Herrera Trophy on August 12, followed by a trip to Germany to play Schalke 04 on August 16. These matches will help Mbappe, Bellingham, Cucurella, and the others find their footing and gradually work toward full match fitness ahead of the competitive season.
This phase also marks Mourinho’s opportunity to shape his preferred starting XI. The pre-season period is when a manager can assemble a lineup close to his envisioned first choice, testing combinations and tactical approaches. Although Mourinho’s reputation is formidable, recent seasons have shown that success at the outset is not guaranteed, emphasizing the need to hit the ground running at Real Madrid.
Madrid’s La Liga opener is set for August 22 against Espanyol, giving Mourinho roughly two weeks to integrate the latest arrivals and finalize his tactical plan. A decisive early run will help determine which players secure starting roles and how the team will look once the season proper gets underway.
In summary, Real Madrid enter a pivotal stage of their pre-season, reassembling a full squad after international duty and readying for a demanding campaign. The coming weeks will reveal how quickly the team can gel under Mourinho, how the new faces fit into the system, and which XI will consistently feature as La Liga competition begins.
