Jose Mourinho surprises everyone by leaving a top Real Madrid player out of the Champions League squad.
Jose Mourinho has decided to leave one of his key Real Madrid players out of the squad for the first part of their Champions League campaign. All 36 teams have now submitted their squads ahead of the first matches next week, and there have been plenty of surprises. Mourinho’s big decision comes as he returns to manage the 15-time European champions.
Unfortunately, left-back Ferland Mendy won’t be included because he’s still recovering from an injury. The defender hurt a muscle in his right leg back in May and hasn’t played for Real Madrid since. Because of the timing, he missed out on the Champions League list. Two other injured players, Eder Militao and Rodrygo Goes, were included and can join the team once they’re fit again.
Instead of Mendy, 19-year-old midfielder Sergio Martinez has been called up just days after joining from Racing Santander. Martinez recently made his debut in La Liga and signed for Real’s B team after they paid a €3 million release clause. Now, he might even get a chance to play in the Champions League.
Mourinho has included 11 youth players in total, most of them listed on List B because of their age. Mendy’s absence isn’t a big problem since new signing Marc Cucurella and Alvaro Carreras are expected to cover the left-back position. Martinez could get fast-tracked into the first team due to a shortage of options for Real’s upcoming match against Inter Milan.
Real will host Inter at the Bernabeu on September 8 but will be missing several important players. New signing Bernardo Silva is suspended, along with Arda Guler and Eduardo Camavinga. Silva’s suspension comes from a red card he received last season while playing for Manchester City. Aurelien Tchouameni may also be out with a muscle injury, and Thiago Pitarch is a doubt. This could give Martinez a rare chance to shine.
Though Martinez was expected to join the second team, he’s been training with the first team and has impressed both Mourinho and his teammates.