Real Madrid’s return to competition is approaching, and Monday brought Kylian Mbappé back to Valdebebas to continue his recovery from a knee injury. The forward is targeting Saturday’s meeting with Villarreal, although his availability remains unconfirmed. Meanwhile, André Villas-Boas has expressed confidence in José Mourinho, describing the challenge of facing an in-form Barcelona as precisely the kind of situation the Madrid coach enjoys.
Mbappé resumes individual work with Villarreal in mind
Kylian Mbappé completed an individual session at Real Madrid
City on Monday afternoon after returning to the Spanish capital earlier in the day. The club confirmed that he worked both inside the facilities and on the pitch, performing exercises with and without the ball as he continued his rehabilitation.
According to AS, the forward landed in Madrid at 11:16 a.m., after his teammates’ session had begun at 10:30 a.m. His own training had been arranged for the afternoon, and he arrived at Valdebebas at approximately 5 p.m. for a combination of gym work, physiotherapy and exercises on the grass.
The timing of his arrival attracted attention, but his absence from Madrid had been authorized. Mundo Deportivo reports that Mbappé spent time in France and Switzerland with permission from both the club and Mourinho, while following the recovery guidelines established for his knee injury. His return therefore should not be presented as an unauthorized absence from training.
Images of the forward’s activities during that period—including an evening out in Paris and a bicycle ride—generated criticism from some supporters. Those discussions have accompanied his rehabilitation, but the reporting also states that he continued working with physiotherapists and following the club’s prescribed program while away.
Mbappé suffered the injury while scoring France’s winning goal against Turkey on September 25. He subsequently left the national-team camp and underwent examinations in Madrid the following day, when the club confirmed a hyperextension of the posterior capsule of his left knee. Madrid’s medical statement did not specify a recovery period.
Reports initially placed his expected absence at 10 to 12 days, putting the Villarreal fixture within reach if his recovery progressed as anticipated. Monday’s session represents a step toward that objective, rather than confirmation that he has returned to full group training or is ready to start.
The club’s latest update says Mbappé is working “with the aim of being available for this Saturday’s match against Villarreal.” The match takes place at the Santiago Bernabéu on October 10 at 9 p.m. Madrid time.
Six players continue recovery programs ahead of a busy October
Madrid’s morning session brought together Mourinho’s available first-team players and a group from the academy. They began with activation exercises and rondos before moving into possession drills and a small-sided match, finishing with running exercises on the grass.
The club listed Raúl Asencio, Ibrahima Konaté, Mbappé, Ferland Mendy, Fede Valverde and Rodrygo as continuing their respective recovery programs. No return dates were included in the training report.
Villarreal opens a five-match October schedule. Madrid then visit Roma in the Champions League on October 14, host Sevilla on October 18, and welcome RB Leipzig on October 21, before travelling to Barcelona for the Clásico on October 25.
Villas-Boas: “These are the challenges Mourinho enjoys the most”
André Villas-Boas has backed Mourinho to meet the demands of his return to Real Madrid. Speaking to Corriere dello Sport, the Porto president praised the coach’s standing in the game while acknowledging the difficulty of competing against Barcelona in their current form.
“José Mourinho is still among the best in the world, I always knew it. And now he’s managing the best club in the world,” Villas-Boas said.
He drew a comparison with the challenge Mourinho encountered when he first arrived in Madrid from Inter, emphasizing that the strength of the opposition would be a source of motivation.
“It’s a shame that Barcelona is in this situation. He’s finding them at a great moment, just like when he left Inter. But these are the challenges Mourinho enjoys the most.”
AS also highlighted recent support from Wesley Sneijder, the former Madrid midfielder who played under Mourinho at Inter. Sneijder offered an unequivocal assessment of his former coach’s suitability for the task:
“Mourinho is the only manager capable of turning Real Madrid around.”
