Real Madrid returned to training at Valdebebas on Monday as José Mourinho’s squad continued preparations for Wednesday’s Teresa Herrera Trophy clash against Deportivo La Coruña.
The session came after Madrid’s friendly victory over Ferencvaros and included several notable additions to Mourinho’s group.
Marc Cucurella and Ibrahima Konaté completed their first training session as Real Madrid players, while Kylian Mbappé returned to the team following his participation at the World Cup.
Ousmane Diomande
and Thibaut Courtois also trained with the group after working individually in recent days. Diomande had spent his first few days at Real Madrid City training separately after completing his move from RB Leipzig last week, making Monday his first opportunity to work alongside his new teammates.
Aurélien Tchouaméni also began his preseason work on Monday, although the French midfielder trained indoors.
The players who accumulated the most minutes in the victory over Ferencvaros were given a recovery session as Mourinho and his staff continue to manage workloads during preseason.
Raúl Asencio, Ferland Mendy, Éder Militão and Rodrygo remain unavailable and continued with their respective recovery programs.
Monday’s session represents another step toward Mourinho having his full squad together following a staggered preseason caused by the World Cup. Jude Bellingham has yet to return and is expected back at Valdebebas on Tuesday or Wednesday.
The returning internationals are not expected to be rushed into action. Cucurella, Konaté, Mbappé and Tchouaméni are reportedly unlikely to travel for Wednesday’s friendly against Deportivo, with the club instead putting them through individual programs designed to build their fitness ahead of the start of La Liga.
A more realistic opportunity for their first preseason minutes could come against Schalke 04 next Sunday.
For Diomande, however, Monday marked the beginning of his integration into Mourinho’s squad after a lengthy transfer saga. The Ivorian winger, one of the standout players at the World Cup, had already completed individual sessions at Valdebebas following his arrival in Madrid but can now begin preparing alongside his new teammates.
Real Madrid will face Deportivo at the Riazor on Wednesday at 9 p.m. local time in the Teresa Herrera Trophy, before continuing preparations for their La Liga opener against Espanyol on August 22.
