Diomande called up for the first time: Mourinho readies his weapons for the final rehearsal | Goal.com
Real Madrid's squad list for tomorrow's friendly against Schalke in Germany looked notably different, with José Mourinho recovering most of his players for the final test before the new season.
Ivorian Yan Diomandé earned his first inclusion, alongside Marc Cucurella and Ibrahima Konaté. Three of the team's biggest names also returned: Kylian Mbappé, Jude Bellingham and Thibaut Courtois.
Endrick, though, misses the trip to Germany. The technical staff opted to keep him in Madrid on a special programme to guard against injuries, while Aurélien Tchouaméni sits out with a severe strain to his thigh muscle.
The long-term absentees remain too: Éder Militão, Rodrygo, Ferland Mendy and Raúl Asencio.
All eyes turn to Diomandé, who is set to play his first match in a Real Madrid shirt after becoming the most expensive signing in the club's history.
Schalke offers the first chance to see how quickly the Ivorian defender gels with his teammates. His attacking output should draw plenty of interest too, particularly with the prospect of him lining up alongside Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior.
For Mbappé, it marks his first friendly of the summer after he returned to Mourinho's plans ahead of the season.
The Schalke clash carries real weight as Real Madrid's last test before their official opener against Espanyol on 22 August.
Mourinho wants to hand his players extra minutes, settle on the shape he'll trust at the start of the season and keep bedding the new arrivals into his system.
This could be the Portuguese coach's moment to trial the defensive line he might field against Espanyol, especially after Cucurella and Konaté forced their way into his thinking.
Konaté has emerged as a direct rival for the centre-back berth alongside Dean Huijsen. On the right, the battle rolls on between Trent Alexander-Arnold and Denzel Dumfries, who has staked a strong claim since arriving.
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