Endrick, tired of watching from the bench at Real Madrid: "I just want to play"

One hundred and forty one minutes. That's all José Mourinho has given Endrick so far this season at Real Madrid. For a 20 year old forward coming off an undisputed starting role during his loan spell at Lyon, that number stings, and the player himself is no longer hiding how badly he wants to play more.

The Brazilian came on in the 84th minute of Madrid's 3-0 win over Valencia on Saturday, a brief appearance that sums up his current situation pretty well: seven matches this season, only one as a starter, and a single goal. After the match, Mourinho hinted that the issue isn't a lack of trust but rather how to divide minutes in an attack stacked with stars.

Oddly enough, the Portuguese coach pinned his hopes on a different bench: Brazil's national team. Endrick is already part of Carlo Ancelotti's squad for the friendlies against Japan (November 14) and Singapore (November 17), and Mourinho made no secret of expecting him to get real playing time there.

Just look at who's going [with the Brazilian national team] with Carlo [Ancelotti]: Vinícius, who has to play, Endrick, and if Carlo plays him, I'll be grateful.José Mourinho

Endrick, for his part, isn't mincing words about what he wants. During the last international break he already logged 139 minutes across three matches, and on Monday he got straight to the point:

I just want to play. I want to be happy, help my teammates, score goals and set up assists, like I did at Lyon, which was one of the best things that's happened to me and one of the happiest times of my life.Endrick

A future nobody wants to force

Mourinho has repeated time and again that Endrick's future lies at the Bernabéu. The forward, however, won't close any doors when asked about January. "I don't know what's going to happen in January. That's in God's hands. I'm only 20 and I'll see what happens. All I ask is to do what's best for my career," he explained. He added: "Whatever happens will happen. I'm going to keep my feet on the ground and give my best. Madrid is a wonderful city, but I'll always do everything I can to push my career forward."

Despite the lack of minutes, the Brazilian doesn't hide his affection for Mourinho. "He's someone I trust a lot. Every day he comes and asks me how I'm doing, but never about soccer, always about my personal life. I really appreciate that," Endrick said, who also acknowledged the reality of the roster ahead of him: "You already know who's there: the second best player in the world according to the latest Ballon d'Or," he said of Kylian Mbappé. "Every time I get a chance at Real, like what happened after the last international break, I try to make the most of it. I've come on for five minutes, ten minutes. The matches where I played the most were against Roma and AEK Athens. I made the most of those moments. I know it's not easy."

While Endrick searches for his place, Vinícius Júnior has already served his four match suspension in LaLiga and will be available for the league match against Celta Vigo on November 21, which only complicates the distribution of minutes up top even further for the young forward.