Jose Mourinho has already identified six guaranteed starters at Real Madrid – report

Jose Mourinho has already identified six guaranteed starters at Real Madrid – report Real Madrid do not have long left before the new La Liga season officially gets underway, and Jose Mourinho will be keen to get off to a winning start. The Portuguese tactician has had a productive pre-season period despite many players returning at different times. Jose has also welcomed as many as six new players into his fold, with players like Carlos Espi and Denzel Dumfries in particular already making an impression. Now, according to Javi Herraez on El Larguero , Mourinho has already established the core of his Real Madrid starting XI. Six places already locked in Thibaut Courtois, Marc Cucurella, Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, Yan Diomande and Jude Bellingham are viewed as Mourinho’s fixed starters. This list already offers a clear picture of the players Mourinho sees as central to his project. Courtois remains the undisputed first-choice goalkeeper, while Cucurella’s stature sees him walk into the team as the left-back. Jose Mourinho has his untouchables at Real Madrid. (Photo courtesy: Real Madrid official website) Further forward, the front four pick themselves, especially in the absence of Rodrygo, who is still recovering from an ACL injury. The real competition is elsewhere If those six positions are effectively settled, the biggest questions remain in the centre of defence, at right-back and in the double pivot. Dean Huijsen, Ibrahima Konate and Antonio Rudiger are competing for centre-back places, while Trent Alexander-Arnold and Denzel Dumfries continue to battle on the right. Midfield is even more open. Fede Valverde, Bernardo Silva and Aurelien Tchouameni are all strong candidates to occupy the two deeper roles, with Eduardo Camavinga also pushing for minutes. That means Mourinho still has major decisions to make before his strongest XI becomes completely clear. Signings could further change the hierarchy Bellingham will be among regular starters under Mourinho. (Photo by Christof Koepsel/Getty Images) Although it looks unlikely, exits could prompt Madrid to make further signings in the market, which could further change the proposition. Los Blancos have done exceedingly well in retaining most of their star players, especially Vinicius, and it would come as quite a surprise to see someone leave now. It is clear that Jose has a list of candidates he considers favourites for his team, but there is also the risk of them getting too comfortable. Even if those six are guaranteed starters, every single player needs to work and prove that they deserve to play every single minute. A manager like Jose will not take long to rip up the list and write up a new one if things are not working, and it remains to be seen how his plans change over the course of the season.