Mourinho Leaves Yan Diomande at Home for Real Madrid's Pre-Season Clash

José Mourinho leaves record signing Yan Diomande at home for Real Madrid’s second pre-season outing, choosing paperwork and prudence over a rushed debut in Budapest.

The Ivorian winger, unveiled less than a day ago and hurried through his first steps at Valdebebas, will not travel for Saturday’s clash with Ferencváros at the Groupama Arena. His name is nowhere on the squad list. His first call-up will have to wait.

Diomande spent the final morning before the trip not on the training pitch, but in offices, finalising the administrative details of his move, according to Spanish outlet Marca. While Carlos Espí joined the group almost as soon as he landed last week, Mourinho has drawn a firmer line with the club’s most expensive signing, opting to give him breathing space before throwing him into match action.

The team departs for Budapest at 4pm, a familiar pre-season routine wrapped around a squad with a distinctly fresh sheen.

Star power boards the plane

If Diomande is the headline absentee, the returning stars more than balance the bill.

Vinícius Júnior, Bernardo Silva and Brahim Díaz are all on the plane after linking up with the squad this week. Each is in line for a first taste of pre-season minutes, but the spotlight will inevitably fall on Vinícius. This could be his first appearance since signing his new deal tying him to the club until 2032, a symbolic step in a summer that has quietly reshaped Madrid’s attack.

Bernardo’s inclusion offers a first look at how Mourinho might blend his creativity with the existing midfield core, while Brahim, so often the bridge between lines, will want to reassert his importance in an increasingly crowded forward department.

Boost at the back, patience with Rüdiger

There is good news for the defence as well. Dean Huijsen returns from the muscle injury that had kept him out, now back in full training and named in the travelling party. His presence gives Mourinho another option in a back line still easing Antonio Rüdiger towards full sharpness.

Rüdiger is listed among the defenders, a sign that his recovery is progressing, but the German remains short of his peak. Huijsen’s availability reduces the need to overextend him in what remains, at heart, a conditioning exercise in Hungary.

The full squad for Budapest

Mourinho’s selection mixes established names, new arrivals and academy faces, a typical pre-season blend with a few intriguing combinations on offer.

• Goalkeepers: Andriy Lunin, Mestre, Navarro.
• Defenders: Dean Huijsen, Juan Martínez, Antonio Rüdiger, Lamine Fati, Mario Rivas, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Denzel Dumfries, Álvaro Carreras.
• Midfielders: Arda Güler, Federico Valverde, Bernardo Silva, Eduardo Camavinga, Sистero, Lacosta, Cirilla.
• Forwards: Brahim Díaz, Vinícius Júnior, Yáñez, Endrick, Carlos Espí.

From Vinícius’s contract-era restart to Bernardo’s first steps in white and Huijsen’s return, there is plenty to examine in Budapest. Diomande will watch it all from Madrid, waiting for the moment Mourinho decides his own story can finally move from paperwork to pitch.