The mystery of Andrej at Real Madrid... Why did Mourinho ignore him?
Brazilian striker Andrej continues to be overlooked by Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho as the new season kicks off, having yet to make a single appearance despite high hopes following his return from a loan spell at Olympique Lyonnais last season . It was expected that Andrej would play a more prominent role in the squad after his return to the Spanish capital, but the start of the 2026-2027 season has been anything but, with the Brazilian becoming the only Real Madrid forward yet to feature in a single match . Furthermore, Andrej, along with Andriy Lunin and Pitarc, is one of only three players in the squad who have yet to make their Real Madrid debut this season . Despite Mourinho praising Andrej on several occasions, the Brazilian striker has failed to convince the manager to give him a real opportunity, while former Levante striker Carlos Espí has quickly established himself as a regular starter . With his continued absence from the pitch, Andrek may be forced to reconsider his future in the coming period, especially with the winter transfer window approaching. A loan move could become one of the options available to him in order to gain regular playing time and regain his presence on the field . The idea of a loan is not new to the Brazilian striker, as he had a similar experience last season with Olympique Lyonnais, an experience that proved highly beneficial and gave him more playing time . This comes at a time when Franco Mastantono is providing a model that might encourage Real Madrid to repeat the experiment, as the Argentine player has begun to regain his form and make his mark with Fiorentina after his move to the Italian club . At the same time, Andrek's situation is putting Real Madrid's sporting management under considerable pressure, especially since Los Blancos have spent more than €100 million on the two players in question, Andrek and Mastantono, neither of whom has yet been able to deliver the expected level of performance within the team.
