Mourinho fumes over squad depth as Endrick struggles for minutes at Real Madrid
Jose Mourinho admits it "makes me angry" that he can't give playing time to all the great players in his Real Madrid squad. The comment came after Tuesday's 3-2 Champions League comeback win over AEK Athens, where Brazilian wonderkid Endrick was again limited to a substitute appearance.
Mourinho blocked Endrick's loan move in summer, insisting the 19-year-old would get chances. But the striker has barely featured this season, raising questions about his development path at a club stacked with attacking talent. The Portuguese manager's frustration highlights the impossible balancing act of managing a squad where every forward option is world-class.
Real Madrid travel to Valencia in LaLiga this Saturday before the international break. For Nigerian fans tracking Endrick's trajectory — reminiscent of how we watched young talents like Osimhen or Chukwueze navigate limited minutes at top European clubs — this is a familiar tension: elite environment versus actual game time.
Will Mourinho rotate against Valencia to give Endrick and other fringe players a proper runout, or does the title race demand his strongest XI every week?