Real Madrid Learn About Key Defender’s Return Date

Real Madrid now prepares to take on Schalke, which will also be their final preparatory game before the start of the new season.

New manager Jose Mourinho has already welcomed Los Blancos' returning stars, who were on holiday following a gruelling World Cup campaign.

Alongside the likes of Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe, Mourinho will also have the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the Whites' latest summer arrivals, Ibrahima Konate and Yan Diomande, when they face the German side this Sunday.

The Portuguese manager is already dealing with an injury crisis in defence, as Raphael Varane, Ferland Mendy, and Eder Militao continue their recoveries.

Now, according to journalist Melchor Ruiz (h/t Defensa Central), Los Merengues have reportedly set a return date for Militao.

Following a recent assessment of the Brazilian's recovery process, the club management believes that Militao could be back by October if everything goes according to plan.

The 28-year-old had a season to forget last time around, as apart from sitting on the sidelines for a major portion of the previous campaign, the centre-back was also ruled out of the World Cup due to much-needed surgery back in April this year.

Militao's first injury during the previous campaign came back in December last year, from which he seemingly recovered just before Los Blancos' crucial Champions League encounter against Bayern Munich.

The Central defender even played the full 90 minutes during the Whites' second-leg encounter against the Bavarians in the quarter-finals of the elite European competition.

Less than two weeks after the Bayern defeat, Militão suffered another severe injury against Alavés, forcing him to undergo surgery.

So far, the Brazilian's rehabilitation has gone according to plan, as he looks forward to training alongside his teammates pretty soon.

However, the 28-year-old might find it hard to get his spot back in the squad when he makes his return later this year.

The arrival of Konate and the recent contract renewal of Antonio Rudiger mean that the Whites now have five senior centre-backs in their squad, including Militao.

As for Mourinho, the Portuguese manager will seemingly start the 2026/27 campaign with just three central defenders: Konate, Rudiger and Dean Huijsen.