With multiple midfield absences, Mourinho is considering fielding youth players against Inter Milan.

In Real Madrid's first Champions League match next Tuesday against Inter Milan at the Bernabéu, Sestelo or Sergio Martínez could be the biggest surprise in the starting lineup. One of these Real Madrid CF II players could become the first youth prospect to make an official debut under Mourinho during his second spell as Real Madrid manager.

The primary reason is that Real Madrid's manager faces a severe midfield crisis ahead of this European fixture, with only Valverde available in midfield. Bellingham, Camavinga, and Güler are suspended, while Tchouaméni and Piatti are injured. The latter two have trained with the squad but are highly unlikely to start, and their availability from the bench is also questionable. Five key absences leave the midfield severely depleted.

The second reason is that Mourinho personally observed both players in Saturday's training match. Sestelo played the first half while Sergio appeared in the second half. Neither played extensively, as Mourinho used the session to assess who would partner Valverde in midfield. Both impressed the Portuguese coach. Sestelo scored a brilliant goal to put the reserves ahead and dominated midfield, while Sergio Martínez delivered an impressive debut, showing convincing form and individual quality.

The Sestelo option

Both players are genuine candidates to face Inter Milan. Mourinho now faces two paths: the first is to directly start either Sestelo or Sergio Martínez, attempting to minimize disruption to the team. The second is to shift formation, solving the problem through tactical adjustment rather than placing the burden of such an intense match on a young player.

If Mourinho chooses one of the youngsters, the advantage leans toward Sestelo. The midfielder has trained with the first team throughout preseason and is well-integrated into Real Madrid's rhythm. Last season, he made five first-team appearances across three competitions—La Liga, the Champions League, and Copa del Rey—including one start. He was a key midfielder for Real Madrid CF II, playing a vital role under Arbeloa and Julián López del Lerma. Throughout his youth career, he has faced intense challenges including promotion playoffs and Real Madrid's run to the UEFA Youth League semifinals. Transfermarkt data shows he is currently La Cantera's most valuable prospect, valued at €7 million. Arbeloa even championed him while still managing Real Madrid CF II, stating last October: "Real Madrid CF II is the team of Manuel Ángel and Palacios, and also Sestelo. I think he is Spain's best number 6 right now." Along with Piatti, he became one of Arbeloa's project's greatest success stories, gradually earning his place in Real Madrid's reserve squad. For this reason, Mourinho has kept him close since the first day of preseason.

Banking on Sergio Martínez

Sergio Martínez has made an enormous impact, and expectations are very high. The young midfielder has already shown considerable talent and impressed quickly. Real Madrid CF II's coach stated after his debut last Saturday: "The 45 minutes he played demonstrated his level, his abilities, his potential, and above all his character. Playing like that with almost no familiarity with his teammates... We're very pleased with him, and we know he can help us greatly this season." He previously played in La Liga for Racing Santander this season and accumulated over 300 minutes in Segunda División last season, gaining experience at a high level. However, as a new signing, this works against him. He has only been at Valdebebas for a week and is still in an adaptation phase. In terms of playing time and training cohesion, he is not yet ready to surpass Sestelo if Mourinho decides to field a youth player.

Bellingham, Trent, Huijsen...

Beyond these two prospects, Mourinho has very few options to reshuffle midfield with so many players unavailable. The most straightforward and least risky solution is to drop Bellingham to partner Valverde in the double pivot. This would free the attacking midfielder position the Englishman usually occupies and Güler's role in the team's standard 4-2-3-1, giving the coach more flexibility for the attacking midfield line. Brahim, Diomandé, and Espi could all be deployed to address the severe problems caused by the five midfield absences.

If other solutions are needed, formation change becomes necessary. For example, on the right flank, Trent could push forward as a third midfielder alongside Valverde and Bellingham, with Brahim or Espi operating in the attacking line alongside Vinícius and Mbappé. This would shift to a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2, allowing the pieces to settle into place. The final and most radical option is deploying Huijsen into midfield. Huijsen is comfortable on the ball and possesses excellent physical attributes. In this scenario, the center-back pairing would be Rüdiger and Konaté, with only the attacking options mentioned above needed to fill the void left by Güler's absence.

Traduit par IA.

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