Mourinho’s Real Madrid injury crisis eases ahead of Atletico derby

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho has been handed a significant boost, with the club’s injury list falling to its lowest level in five months as the team prepares for a demanding run of fixtures.

The Spanish side began the season with a less visible crisis caused by a succession of injuries. The problem restricted Mourinho’s tactical choices and forced him to manage his first five matches with repeated absences.

Across Real Madrid’s opening four games, seven players were unavailable because of injury: Ferland Mendy, Rodrygo, Eder Militao, Aurelien Tchouameni, Thiago Pitarch, Endrick and Asensio.

Some of those players returned for the meeting with Inter, although Real Madrid then lost Eduardo Camavinga, Arda Guler and Bernardo Silva through suspension.

Asensio’s return against Rayo Vallecano has reduced the number of absentees further and increased the size of Mourinho’s available squad to 22 players. The improvement comes at an important stage of the season, with Real Madrid due to play three league matches in nine days, finishing with the Madrid derby against Atletico Madrid.

The greater availability gives Mourinho more scope to rotate his side and protect players’ fitness during the busy schedule. Real Madrid currently have cover in every position, with the exception of the long-term absences of Militao, Mendy and Rodrygo.

Mourinho said the expanded group would allow him to use some players while giving others time to recover.

“Having more options means that we can play some players and give others a rest,” Mourinho said, stressing the importance of having a squad capable of coping with a run of consecutive matches.

Injuries were also one of the main factors behind Real Madrid’s difficulties last season. The club recorded 60 injuries, while seven or more players were unavailable for 15 matches.

The latest figures underline the scale of the improvement. Real Madrid will face Rayo Vallecano with only three players absent, their lowest number of missing players in the past five months.

It is the first time since 21 April that the club have reached that level. On that occasion, Rodrygo, Thibaut Courtois and Asensio were unavailable for the match against Alaves.