According to AS , Real Madrid have no intention of rushing key midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni back from the sidelines.
The priority is for him to return at 100% fitness rather than take unnecessary risks. That is manager Jose Mourinho's approach with the French midfielder.
Tchoaumeni suffered an injury during the World Cup that forced him to miss two matches in the final stages before returning for the semi-final. That situation aggravated the problem and prevented him from training at the same pace as his teammates.
After missing all of Real Madrid's preseason friendlies, Mourinho has no intention of taking risks at this stage of the campaign.
He is a key part of the manager's plans, which is precisely why the Portuguese coach would rather give him the necessary time to regain his fitness than push him too early.
"With Tchouameni, we have to keep our emotions in check. I don't want him to be in and out, in and out again," Mourinho said at the press conference ahead of the Malaga game.
"I don't want to start the season in August with a situation like this. I hope to have Tchouameni fit again, and I prefer to wait a little longer,"he added.
Mourinho does not wish to take any risk with Tchouameni. (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)
As such, the expectation is that Tchouameni could begin getting minutes around the fifth matchday in La Liga, when Real Madrid take on Rayo Vallecano on the weekend of 14 September.
As per the report, Mourinho considers the Frenchman one of the pillars of his team. The Portuguese coach therefore does not want to force a return in the third league match.
Tchouameni is a crucial player because he is Real Madrid's strongest defensive specialist in midfield.
Last season, Real Madrid suffered as many as 54 injuries, something that caused concern at Valdebebas and influenced how the club has approached player recovery.
One of the first measures has been to control recovery timelines more carefully to avoid unnecessary setbacks. So, Tchouameni will not be rushed back.
Last season, Tchouameni became one of the players most appreciated by the Real Madrid supporters.
Tchouameni returned from the World Cup with a knock. (Photo by Mattia Ozbot/Getty Images)
His first few campaigns had raised doubts among sections of the Bernabeu crowd and even brought strong whistles, but he recovered both physically and mentally to become an indispensable player for his coaches.
With doubts surrounding Eduardo Camavinga, Tchouameni is the only player who can consistently provide the holding role in the middle of the pitch.
After a difficult end to last season that included his conflict with Federico Valverde, the Frenchman now has to build on those positive performances.
Although both players have confirmed that the dispute has been resolved, there are still questions about their relationship on the pitch, particularly because they did not share any more minutes after the incident.
For all those reasons, Mourinho does not want to take any chances with Tchouameni and would rather reintroduce him once he has recovered his fitness and feels completely ready.
