Real Madrid defense rejects easy path as Mourinho decision looms

One of the sectors of the team that Real Madrid has considered most seriously when planning reinforcements for next season is the defense. This is clearly visible from the fact that, of the four signings already made, three are defenders, namely Marc Cucurella, Ibrahima Konate and Denzel Dumfries. These new additions of experienced and proven players are undoubtedly exciting, as they will bring a lot of quality and depth to new coach José Mourinho, who begins his second spell at the Merengue club.

However, this situation is particularly worrying for some of the squad's current players, whose future roles in the team are quite uncertain at the moment. This is the case for central defender Raul Asencio, who will now have to compete with players like Antonio Rudiger, Dean Huijsen, Ibrahima Konate, Eder Militao and possibly another new central defender next season.

In this context, it would be understandable for him to opt for the path preferred by some of the recent academy graduates, such as Jacobo Ramon, Mario Gila, Rafa Marin or Victor Chust, that is, to continue his development playing outside of Real Madrid, especially since the club also asked Jorge Mendes to find interested parties in him.

However, according to Diario AS, that is not Asencio's intention, who is determined to convince Mourinho that he can be a valuable asset to the team. To achieve this, he has already hired a personal trainer, with whom he is working hard during this holiday period. The defender plans to spend the entire summer in his homeland, in the Canary Islands. But instead of visiting the beaches that make his home country one of the most attractive tourist destinations in the world, Raul Asencio will spend most of his time in the gym or doing trail running marathons in order to get into top physical shape before joining Real Madrid's pre-season squad on July 13.

We hope his efforts prove fruitful, and it wouldn't be surprising if Mourinho gives him a lot of importance next season, as he has a proven track record of bringing players who show great passion and determination, like Asencio, to shine.