Real Madrid defender ready to step up and establish himself as a starter under Mourinho

Real Madrid defender ready to step up and establish himself as a starter under Mourinho Dean Huijsen is entering the second season of his Real Madrid career with a chance to establish himself as a first-choice centre-back. The 21-year-old is expected to start against Deportivo La Coruna in the Teresa Herrera Trophy game later today, having already made his return from the minor injury that kept him out of the team’s trip to Austria. After a first season that contained both impressive moments and difficult stretches, AS reports that Huijsen now faces a campaign in which the the aim is clear: he has to take another step forward. From a spectacular start to a difficult spell Huijsen’s Real Madrid story began just over a year ago, in June 2025, during the Club World Cup. Although Real Madrid failed to win the tournament, the defender emerged as one of the most positive performers in Xabi Alonso’s team. His strong form continued into the opening weeks of the La Liga season. But when Los Blancos entered their first major period of poor results, Huijsen’s performances began to fluctuate. Huijsen has a big challenge ahead. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images) There were moments when his confidence turned into overconfidence, while lapses in concentration also affected his consistency. He eventually lost his status as an automatic starter. Huijsen subsequently produced a much-improved version of himself towards the back end of the season and now wants to carry that response into the new season. The No. 4 and a bigger ambition Huijsen knows he is one of Real Madrid’s major investments and wants to establish himself as a future leader of the Madrid defence. One advantage the young Spaniard has is that manager Jose Mourinho knows Huijsen well. When the Portuguese was managing AS Roma, he personally pushed to sign the youngster on loan. His spell in Rome helped accelerate his development before he made the jump to the Premier League. Now Mourinho is the man in charge at Real Madrid, and Huijsen has made a strong start to pre-season. Real Madrid’s new No. 4. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images) He started both of the team’s training matches at Valdebebas. However, minor physical problems prevented him from travelling to Austria for the first official friendly against Fiorentina. He returned for the match against Ferencvaros, playing the second half as he continued to build up his fitness and match rhythm. Konate raises the competition The biggest change this season is the competition around him. Following David Alaba’s departure, Ibrahima Konate has arrived at the Bernabeu to challenge Huijsen and the rest of the centre-backs for a starting role. For Huijsen, that makes the coming months particularly important. He already knows what Mourinho expects from him. He has the talent and the club’s confidence, as seen by him being given the No. 4 shirt . Now comes the harder part: turning potential into consistency and proving that he can become a permanent fixture in the heart of Real Madrid’s defence.