Mourinho’s Real Madrid squad features three La Fabrica prospects for Espanyol test

Jose Mourinho has named his first official Real Madrid squad since beginning his second spell in charge, with Endrick and Aurelien Tchouameni left out of Saturday’s La Liga meeting with Espanyol and three academy players included.

Real Madrid face Espanyol at the RCDE Stadium tomorrow evening in the second round of the league season. Mario Rivas, Siestero and Alexis Ciria have all been called up after impressing Mourinho during pre-season.

Endrick has been omitted because of a minor muscular injury. The Brazilian forward has not suffered a serious problem, but the coaching staff have decided against taking any risk with him so early in the campaign.

Tchouameni has returned to full team training, although Mourinho believes the France international is not yet ready to play a competitive match. The midfielder joined up with the squad carrying some discomfort and has had limited training time with the first team.

“He is fine, but he arrived carrying some discomfort and trained only a little with the first team,” Mourinho said.

The decision also reflects Real Madrid’s demanding schedule. The club will play three La Liga matches across an eight-day period, prompting Mourinho’s staff to take a cautious approach with players returning from injury or lacking full match fitness.

The three academy call-ups are the most notable feature of the squad. Rivas, Siestero and Ciria earned their opportunities after catching Mourinho’s attention during preparations, when Real Madrid repeatedly relied on players from La Fabrica because of the number of injuries in the senior group.

Mourinho had previously said that the route into the first team would remain open to young players. The selection of the trio for the trip to face Espanyol represents the first practical example of that policy under his renewed Real Madrid project.

Rivas, Siestero and Ciria are expected to begin on the bench at the RCDE Stadium. If selected, they would become some of the first academy talents to receive an opportunity with the senior side during Mourinho’s second tenure.

“The door is open,” Mourinho said at his news conference, referring to the chances available to academy players who can demonstrate that they are ready for first-team football.

Real Madrid’s full squad for the match is:

Goalkeepers: Thibaut Courtois, Andriy Lunin, Mestre.

Defenders: Dean Huijsen, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, Marc Cucurella, Carreras, Antonio Rudiger, Denzel Dumfries, Mario Rivas.

Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Federico Valverde, Arda Guler, Bernardo Silva, Siestero, Alexis Ciria.

Forwards: Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe, Espe, Brahim Diaz, Yan Diomande.

The match with Espanyol will be Mourinho’s next opportunity to shape the early stages of his return to Real Madrid, with the manager balancing the demands of a busy opening schedule against the need to protect players who are not yet fully fit.