Mourinho left with just one fit center back for Real Madrid's defense against Villarreal

Just one name on the list of available center backs. That's how tight things look on defense for José Mourinho as he prepares for the return of LaLiga action. Real Madrid will host Villarreal next Saturday, October 10, at the Santiago Bernabéu for matchday 8, and the Portuguese coach still doesn't know what back line he'll be able to field.

Friday marked the fifth session of the week with the usual reduced group: players who weren't called up by their national teams during the FIFA window, which runs through October 6. Mourinho has been able to work with them every day, but the closed-doors training session left an image that sums up the problem well: of all the center backs on the roster, only Antonio Rüdiger was on the field in condition to play.

That's the dilemma. Ibrahima Konaté remains sidelined with a collateral ligament injury in his right leg. Raúl Asencio, who had trained with the group earlier in the week, underwent surgery Thursday for a stress fracture in his right tibia, and Mourinho visited him in the hospital. And Dean Huijsen, though away with Spain during this international break, is suspended for the Villarreal match. The only good news comes from Éder Militão, who has already recovered from his injury, though everything points to him not being available in time for that game.

Given that scenario, the options Mourinho is weighing involve shifting players from other positions. Aurélien Tchouaméni looks like the most natural alternative to fill the gap at the center of defense, a role he's already familiar with. And if Militão doesn't make it back in time, there's also the possibility of turning to Federico Valverde, though the Uruguayan is dealing with his own issue: he couldn't travel with his national team on its Asian tour due to a grade 3 sprain in his left ankle, suffered in the match against Atlético de Madrid.

In Friday's training session, alongside a group of academy players, the available field players were Militão, Álvaro Carreras, Rüdiger and Tchouaméni, while Thibaut Courtois and Andrey Lunin split the work between the posts.

The injury list keeps growing

Real Madrid's medical room hasn't gotten a break during this international break either. Added to the injuries of Konaté and Valverde is that of Kylian Mbappé, who is dealing with hyperextension of the posterior capsule in his left knee. Meanwhile, Rodrygo and Ferland Mendy continue their recovery processes and have been seen training alone on the Valdebebas pitch during the week.

Still away with their national teams, among others, are Huijsen and Marc Cucurella with Spain, Eduardo Camavinga with France, Jude Bellingham and Trent Alexander-Arnold with England, Vinícius Jr. and Endrick with Brazil, and Bernardo Silva with Portugal, all waiting for the FIFA window to end so they can rejoin the full squad.

Real Madrid sits fourth in the LaLiga table, six points behind leaders Barcelona, and needs to solve this defensive puzzle before Villarreal arrives at the Bernabéu.