Endrick was supposed to be the story of Real Madrid’s summer. Instead, he watched Sunday’s friendly against Schalke from Madrid, kept behind for individual work while the rest of the squad flew to Germany.
The 20-year-old picked up a muscle overload earlier in the week. Real Madrid insider Melchor Ruiz of COPE first reported the setback on 14 August, describing an issue that would keep him out of the Schalke fixture. Endrick had scored in a pre-season win over Fiorentina days earlier.
He returned to Real Madrid this summer after a January loan to Lyon, where he announced himself with a hat-trick in a 5-2 win over Metz on 25 January, becoming the youngest player in Lyon’s history to score three in a Ligue 1 game. The plan for 2026-27 was regular first-team minutes back at the Bernabeu. The immediate target is smaller: to be cleared for the La Liga opener at Espanyol on Saturday, 22 August, kick-off 9:30pm local time.
Militao’s return pushed to autumn
If Endrick’s problem is short-term, Eder Militao’s is not. The Brazilian centre-back tore the proximal tendon of the biceps femoris in his left leg in Real Madrid’s fixture against Alaves on 21 April and had surgery a week later.
Read also: Revolt against Infantino grows as Israel withdraws its support
The current medical estimate puts his return at September or October, a four-to-five-month recovery from a player who has already lost two ACLs and a full season of football since 2024. Militao’s earlier biceps femoris tear cost him four months on its own.
Mendy is running again
Ferland Mendy is closer. The 31-year-old France left-back ruptured the rectus femoris tendon in his right leg and had surgery in May. The initial timeline was five to seven months, but Mendy has been jogging at Valdebebas and could return to team training before the end of September, ahead of schedule.
Even a fit Mendy will not walk back into the side. Alvaro Carreras has held the left-back shirt in pre-season and new signing Marc Cucurella arrived over the summer.
Rodrygo out until 2027
Behind them is the longest wait. Rodrygo suffered anterior cruciate ligament and lateral meniscus damage in his right knee on 18 March and had surgery the same month. The winger is not expected back until the beginning of 2027.
Read also: 'I take full responsibility': Nick Kyrgios breaks silence with direct response to cocaine positive
Aurelien Tchouameni has recovered and is available for the Espanyol trip. Raul Asensio is due back in mid-September and midfielder Thiago Pitarch is targeted for late August or early September, according to Spanish journalist Arancha Rodriguez.
Mourinho’s second Bernabeu spell begins short-handed
Mourinho was appointed on 11 June for three seasons through June 2029, his second spell at the club after leaving in 2013. His first competitive test comes at the RCDE Stadium with a treatment room that has stripped him of a first-choice centre-back, his first-choice left-back and one of the two most talented young forwards on the books.
Read also: 'I want to quit': Guardiola's dressing-room rant reframes the story of Manchester City's collapse
