Real Madrid's new manager Jose Mourinho comes in to the club with a big, big reputation, having turned around two trophyless seasons into making Los Merengues the biggest juggernaut in European football again, setting the stage for a handful of Champions League trophies that would come in the decade or so after his departure from the Santiago Bernabeu.
Florentino Perez hired Mourinho back again this summer despite a few rough years around European football and a falling reputation, because he believes in Mou and sees him as the ideal player to get the superstars of Madrid to fight for the badge and back on the same page togther.
But Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, and Kylian Mbappe are not the only players of note at Madrid. It takes an entire roster to win a Champions League, and with the superstars at the World Cup still or recovering from a grueling tournament, Mourinho is getting an up close and personal look at some young stars who could be bigger factors than the average football fan thinks in 2026/27.
Jose Mourinho has more options than he thought
According to a report from Spanish journalist Ben Fernandes Santos, there are two young players on the roster bubble who are impressing the new Real Madrid coach the most. Santos says that Jose Mourinho is impressed with striker Gonzalo Garcia's condition and is also a big fan of what center back Dean Huijsen is doing in his second offseason at the club. In his first week of offseason practice sessions, Mourinho is reportedly more impressed with Huijsen and Garcia than any other players.
Huijsen joined Real Madrid for nearly 60 million euros last summer from Bournemouth after a breakout 2024/25 Premier League season, and while he got exposed a bit in La Liga with the high expectations at the Santiago Bernabeu, he still showed that he has the potential to be a quality player for Real Madrid in the future.
Meanwhile, Gonzalo Garcia, an academy prospect, did not come with the same price tag, of course, but he had an even more encouraging season, scoring more efficiently than Kylian Mbappe despite an overall lack of opportunities behind a player of such caliber.
Garcia was mired in transfer rumors to start the summer window and seemingly destined to leave on a sale with a buy back - or a loan - but Mourinho is giving him the chance to be a first team striker behind Mbappe with no new signings coming in. He could really push for a role next season, even with Endrick's return adding another body at the No. 9 position.
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