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Real Madrid’s pre-season preparations are gathering pace, with Los Blancos recently taking on Hungarian club Ferencvaros in a friendly that featured the debut of Bernardo Silva, among several others.

The Portuguese creator played the entire second half in the 2-1 victory, but new manager Jose Mourinho was quick to stress that his fellow countryman is still not yet at peak fitness.

Speaking to Real Madrid TV after the match, Mourinho gave a frank verdict on Bernardo’s current physical condition, pointing out that the midfielder had only just come back from his holidays.

“Bernardo has not had minutes and has only had a couple of days of training. It’s very important, but the poor thing has had vacations.

“It is good for him not to do anything during the holidays and he has presented himself in a lower physical condition than he usually has and he has to grow, but he is a tremendous player,” he said.

That mild criticism was soon balanced by strong praise, with Mourinho highlighting Bernardo’s versatility and technical quality.

“He gives us the ball out, he can play as a 6, as an 8. During the match I understood that he lacked physical strength and I put him in 10.

“It’s another position that Bernardo can play well. For a coach it is perfect to have someone who plays well in three or four positions,” he added.

Even after a busy summer in which Yan Diomande, Bernardo, Marc Cucurella, Ibrahima Konate, Denzel Dumfries and Carlos Espi have arrived, the Portuguese coach made it clear that he still wants one more signing in midfield, ideally a player with Bernardo’s kind of flexibility.

“We want a short squad, with 20 players plus the injured ones, which we have for some time, such as Rodrygo, Militao, Ferland (Mendy). We also need a player who can do what Bernardo does, which is play in different positions,” he said.

That requirement has arguably become even more pressing after Rodri chose to join Barcelona instead of Real Madrid, dealing a blow to a team that is clearly in need of reinforcements in that department.

For the moment, Real Madrid still have two friendlies left, against Deportivo de A Coruna on August 12 and Schalke 04 on August 16, before beginning their LaLiga season away to Espanyol on August 22.

Whether another midfielder arrives before then remains uncertain, but Mourinho has certainly made his position unmistakably clear.