Mourinho rules out a loan move for Endrick

Mourinho has made his position on Endrick’s future clear: the coach says the forward does not need to leave on loan and will succeed here. He was speaking in an interview with Brazilian television before the match between Roma and Real Madrid, scheduled for 21:00.

Endrick’s playing time has raised questions: he has featured for only four minutes this season. Premier League clubs, including Aston Villa, as well as Roma and Milan in Serie A, are said to be very interested in him. His limited involvement might suggest that Mourinho does not count on him, but the Portuguese coach rejected that reading: “Those who are interested should forget it, forget it. If an interested club is waiting for Endrick, it should do so sitting down, because it will get tired of waiting.”

Mourinho explained that an injury kept Endrick away from the team for more than a month—between four and five weeks—when he arrived. After speaking with him, the coach added, the player had barely been used since recovering. Mourinho also revealed that he had planned to bring Endrick on against Villarreal, before Vinicius’s red card changed his plans. “When we scored, Bernardo and he were going to come on. But after the goal, with us leading and down to ten players, a coach changes his mind and looks at other options,” he explained.

He also stressed his admiration for Endrick, describing him as a player with great potential who is important to the team. “Whoever is interested in Endrick will have to fight me. I don’t think he needs to go out on loan; he will have a lot of success here,” Mourinho said.