Real Madrid Faces Defensive Dilemma as Asencio Returns

Real Madrid began the 2026-27 season with three points and a problem.

Jose Mourinho’s side beat Espanyol on Saturday night with a centre-back pairing that would not have been his first choice a month ago. Ibrahima Konate lined up alongside Dean Huijsen, while Antonio Rudiger stayed on the bench. Next to him sat Mario Rivas, a La Fabrica defender called up in emergency mode after injuries stripped the squad bare.

Eder Militao was out. So was Raul Asencio, the academy graduate who had been told earlier in the summer that he was not part of Mourinho’s plans for the new campaign and was expected to leave.

Then everything changed with one training-ground injury.

Asencio picked up a knock in July that looked serious enough to rule him out until September and all but freeze any transfer. His chances of an exit suddenly shrank as he moved from expendable to unavailable.

Now the story has taken another twist.

According to Diario AS, Asencio is back in training with Real Madrid and is progressing ahead of schedule. He is expected to rejoin full group sessions later this week. If that timeline holds, he could be named in the matchday squad for next weekend’s league fixture against Malaga.

For Mourinho, the timing is almost perfect.

Madrid face three matches in eight days, a demanding run that makes constant use of Konate and Rudiger a clear risk. The Portuguese coach knows overloading his senior centre-backs this early in the season could invite another injury crisis. That is where Asencio’s accelerated return becomes crucial. If he is fit enough to feature on Sunday against Malaga, he immediately strengthens a thin rotation at the back.

Yet the same development reopens an uncomfortable question.

Asencio’s comeback also nudges the transfer door back ajar just days before the summer window shuts on Monday. A fit defender is easier to move than an injured one, and clubs looking for late solutions will notice.

The player, for now, is resisting that idea. Asencio has no intention of listening to offers and wants to stay and fight for his place at Real Madrid. His stance is firm. But it may be tested if he spends the next weeks watching from the bench and comes to accept that Mourinho does not see him as a key part of the project.

For Madrid, his name on the teamsheet against Malaga could mean two things at once: badly needed cover in a brutal week, and a shop window appearance before the clock runs out on the market.