Mourinho rules out Tchouameni for Real Sociedad clash, Deschamps under fire

José Mourinho confirmed on Tuesday that Aurélien Tchouameni will not be available for Real Madrid’s home match against Real Sociedad on Wednesday (21:00), as his adductor injury has not fully healed following what the club views as a premature return during the 2026 World Cup.

The French international midfielder suffered the adductor injury in the round of 16 against Paraguay, forcing him to miss the quarter-final against Morocco. However, Didier Deschamps decided to start him in the semi-final against Spain, which France lost 2-0. Tchouameni’s performance was disappointing, and he left the pitch in a worsened physical condition, much to the frustration of Real Madrid and its new manager.

“He hasn’t had a relapse,” Mourinho clarified in his press conference, before elaborating: “He suffered a lot during the World Cup. That’s normal—you suffer at a World Cup. When you have to play while injured at the end of a season, knowing a month’s holiday follows, you take risks. That’s what he did. He didn’t play one match, then he played again in the semi-final.”

The Portuguese coach was clear about the path forward: “You can finish a season suffering: the last few months, OK, we go like that until the end. But you cannot start a season in August in a situation where you’re not at 100%. In that sense, we decided with him, the staff and the medical department that he returns to 100%. We’ll see if it takes another week, two more weeks, but we won’t force anything.”

Deschamps’ decision to start an insufficiently recovered player in a World Cup knockout stage has raised questions about injury management in international football and the impact such decisions can have on clubs. For Real Madrid, the priority is now to get Tchouameni back to full fitness, even if it means waiting several more weeks.