"I am not happy, everyone makes mistakes, but making several is different," Jose Mourinho said after Raúl Asencio's summer spell was disrupted by errors and then overtaken by interest from Chelsea and Liverpool. The defender stayed at Real Madrid, and the latest turn may finally hand him a first-minute opportunity this season.

Surgery and the stop-start season

Raúl Asencio underwent successful surgery on Thursday to address a stress fracture in his right tibia. The operation was performed by Dr. Manuel Leyes under the supervision of Real Madrid's medical services, and AS reported an expected absence of two to three months.

That makes the current situation awkward for Madrid, because Asencio has 0 appearances and 0 minutes this season. The move back into the conversation is being forced less by planning than by necessity.

Madrid's defensive squeeze

Dean Huijsen was suspended after his red card against Atletico Madrid, which opened the door a little wider for the back line around Asencio. Villarreal arrive at the Bernabeu on 10 October, and Real Madrid can hardly treat the fixture lightly with a defence already short on options.

The league numbers show why the issue has lingered. Real Madrid are fourth in La Liga with 15 points from seven matches, they have conceded 8 league goals, and their form reads LWWLW. Against that backdrop, a player who turned down summer approaches from Chelsea and Liverpool suddenly looks less like a spare piece and more like a candidate to be used.

Mourinho's tone has shifted as the squad has thinned out, and that may matter more than the transfer gossip. Asencio may not be ready for a full role yet, but the path to minutes has opened because the defence has been stretched to the edge.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 6 outlets. How we work →