With the six signings made during the last summer transfer window, Jose Mourinho has a very strong squad at Real Madrid, with all the positions very well covered. While this is definitely a good thing, the abundance of quality players will also cause some selection headaches for the Portuguese coach.
The forward line is one area where the new Merengue coach will have to make some difficult decisions. Vinicius Junior has not been playing at his best level, and with Kylian Mbappe a fixed starter, the coach will have to pick his other starters from among Vinicius, Carlos Espi, Brahim Diaz, Arda Guler, and Yan Diomande.
Meanwhile, there would be another player fighting for a spot in the starting lineup in the coming few months, i.e., Rodrygo Goes, who has so far not been able to train under Jose Mourinho because of the injury he suffered during the last season.
However, he is making good progress in his recovery, and MARCA reports that he has reached a major milestone in this process, as he trained with the ball for the first time in months at Valdebebas on Monday.
The Brazilian has been on this recovery route for the last six months, having suffered a torn ACL and meniscus on 2nd March, during a game against Getafe. This injury resulted not only in him being sidelined for a number of months for Real Madrid, but in him also missing out on his dream of playing in the 2026 World Cup with Brazil.
After undergoing surgery on 10th March, Rodrygo Goes has experienced a difficult and painful recovery process. He seems to be getting closer to getting back to full fitness, but the most delicate stages of the recovery process are still ahead of him, and Real Madrid expects him to be ready to return to competitive action sometime between December and January.