'Fight me': Mourinho makes surprise admission over in-demand Real Madrid star

News

Suraj Radia | Editor

Jose Mourinho has insisted that he has no desire to loan Endrick out this season despite the wonderkid still struggling to break into his team at Real Madrid.

Endrick spent the second half of last season on loan at Lyon and it was expected that the 20-year-old would be sent out again this year but he reportedly rejected moves away after being convinced by Mourinho to remain at the club.

However, Endrick has since played just four minutes of football this season in Madrid and speculation has emerged that the likes of Milan, Roma and Aston Villa are keen to try and sign the forward in January.

But Mourinho has seemingly closed the door on Endrick leaving the club during the winter, insisting that any interested teams would have to ‘fight’ the Real Madrid boss to convince him to part ways with a player he still believes in.

"No, no, forget it. If any interested clubs are waiting for him, they better sit down, because they will get exhausted waiting standing up," Mourinho told TNT Sports Brasil.

"Endrick is a player I absolutely adore, a player I believe has huge potential and who is very important to us. Anyone interested in him will have to fight me hard, because I believe he does not need to go out on loan and that he'll have massive success here."

Endrick happy to remain in Real Madrid after Mourinho commitment

Endrick has so far failed to live up to his €47.5 million price tag since joining Real Madrid from Palmeiras in 2024, scoring just one La Liga goal in 24 appearances.

The Brazilian international had a mixed time in Lyon too, having scored a hat-trick early on during his time in Ligue 1 and ending up with eight goals in 21 games across all competitions.

There had been hope that Endrick would get more game time in Madrid this year, having been part of Brazil’s squad for the 2026 World Cup, but an injury during pre-season, coupled with the arrivals of Yan Diomande and Carlos Espi, have slowed the youngster’s progress.

With Mourinho still believing Endrick to have an important part to play across the season, his agent also spoke recently insisting that the player would stay with Real Madrid ‘for a long time’, suggesting that all parties are satisfied even with the lack of game time currently.