Real Madrid defensive duo to be under Mourinho’s ‘magnifying glass’ in pre-season

Jose Mourinho has very limited first-team players at his disposal in the initial weeks of his pre-season, given that most of the stars were called up for the FIFA World Cup by their respective nations.

Two players who are under his training at the moment, however, are the team’s two Spanish centre-backs, Dean Huijsen and Raul Asencio.

Both players were under consideration by Luis de La Fuente as options for the squad, but both players were subsequently dropped due to their poor form at the club level. Now, they aim to turn their situation around under Mourinho.

Under a magnifying glass

As reported by Mundo Deportivo in a recent update, Huijsen and Asencio are the two players who will be under Mourinho’s magnifying glass during the pre-season campaign as both players look to impress the manager and earn a spot in his dynamics.

Mourinho will keep a close eye on the duo. (Picture credit: X/@realmadrid)

The centre-back position, after all, has added competition for next season after the arrival of Ibrahima Konate. Antonio Rudiger is currently the only guaranteed starter, and Eder Militao will also move to the top of the pecking order after his return from injury.

Huijsen and Asencio, thus, are currently at the bottom of Mourinho’s preference list. They may start the campaign as regular substitutes, and the impression they make in pre-season and their limited minutes at the beginning of the season will decide their prominence.

A transfer is likely

While Konate’s arrival adds substantial depth to Real Madrid’s central defence, Mourinho desires yet another profile to add to his options.

Asencio has been linked with an exit. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

He is pushing for another starting-quality player, with names like Aymeric Laporte and Alessandro Bastoni linked with the club.

Should a new player arrive, however, one defender is likely to leave the club. Asencio is currently the best placed on that front to be the scapegoat.

The ongoing pre-season, thus, is all the more important for the academy graduate, for he is not only fighting for a bigger role in the team but for his very presence in the squad.

Should the manager not be impressed with what he sees, he may even be on his way out of the club this summer.