José Mourinho's Plan for Aurélien Tchouaméni

José Mourinho has no intention of rushing Aurélien Tchouaméni. The Real Madrid coach has a plan, and every minute the French midfielder spends on the pitch is being weighed like gold dust.

After more than two months out with a thigh injury, Tchouaméni has only just started to feel like a footballer again. Eleven minutes against Inter Milan in the Champions League. Twenty-one more against Rayo Vallecano. Small steps, but deliberate ones.

Mourinho’s measured gamble

Spanish newspaper AS reports that Tchouaméni will not start Tuesday’s league match against Elche. That doesn’t mean he’ll be a spectator. The idea is for him to play more than half an hour, stretching his rhythm and confidence without overloading a muscle that has already cost him dearly.

Mourinho made the plan clear without giving away the details. “He will get more minutes on the pitch, without doubt. He keeps improving, becoming stronger and more confident. He will certainly play, but I will not specify the number of minutes he will play,” the Portuguese coach said before the Elche clash.

The message is simple: Real Madrid need him, but they need him fully fit even more.

Inside the club, the coaching staff are waiting for the version of Tchouaméni they know he can be – the one who locks down the space in front of the back line, an area that has too often looked exposed this season. His discipline, positioning and control are seen as a key defensive upgrade in that vulnerable zone on the edge of the box.

A long road back

This is not a routine comeback. The injury struck 73 days ago, just before France’s World Cup round-of-16 match against Paraguay. Pain in his thigh appeared at the worst possible time. He pushed through and played in the semi-final against Spain a few weeks later, a decision that backfired. He left the tournament injured, traded his holiday for physiotherapy sessions, and missed the start of La Liga.

Since then, it has been grind, not glamour. AS describes long hours in the gym, repeated physiotherapy work, and cautious individual sessions on pitch number 3 at Real Madrid’s training complex. No shortcuts, no heroics. Just repetition.

The good news for Madrid: Aurélien has not felt pain for several weeks. The less visible part: he is still anxious, fully aware of how fragile a half-healed muscle can be, but trying to stay calm and trust the process.

The staff track his minutes obsessively, nudging them up little by little. Given how complex the injury was, nobody is surprised by the caution. One relapse would throw away months of work.

Derby on the horizon

All of this builds toward one date circled in red: the Madrid derby. Tchouaméni, according to AS, has a strong chance of starting against Atlético Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano next Sunday if this week goes according to plan.

First comes Elche, another step in Mourinho’s carefully drawn roadmap. More minutes, more responsibility, more rhythm. If his body holds up and his confidence follows, Real Madrid could soon regain the midfield anchor they have been missing just in time for one of the most demanding fixtures of their season.