Jose Mourinho named 19 players for his first competitive match back at Real Madrid.
Endrick wasn’t one of them.
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The omission lands in the middle of a fortnight where the Brazilian’s name has appeared in almost every Liverpool transfer round-up going.
It was reported earlier this week that Liverpool asked Real Madrid about his availability as Andoni Iraola looks to reinforce his forward line before the deadline.
A spanish outlet put a figure on it, suggesting the Reds were prepared to pay around €65m for the Brazilian.
So a squad omission on the opening weekend looks, at first glance, like a club managing a player who might be moving.
It isn’t that.
Endrick is injured.
He picked up a muscular problem in pre-season, and Mourinho confirmed before the Espanyol match that both Endrick and Aurelien Tchouameni would miss out as they recover.
Neither issue is considered serious, and both are expected back shortly.
They’re in different company to Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy, Rodrygo and Raul Asencio, who are all working through longer-term absences.
Endrick has also been on a specific training programme designed to prevent injuries after a physically disrupted period.
Everything else about his situation points away from an exit.
He was handed the number 9 shirt for 2026-27.
Aston Villa and Roma both approached about loans in recent weeks and were rejected immediately by player and manager.
AC Milan made contact with his camp and got nowhere.
It was reported that Endrick has impressed Mourinho in training and has no intention of leaving, with Mourinho valuing his ability to play across the front line.
The competition question is real, though.
Madrid spent over €200m this summer, including Yan Diomande for a reported £120m, a player Liverpool themselves chased earlier in the window.
Add Carlos Espi, Mbappe leading the line, and Vinicius and Brahim in wide areas, and minutes will be scarce.
Endrick’s Lyon loan showed what he can do with them.
Twenty-one appearances, eight goals, eight assists, and a fourth-place finish that took Lyon into the Champions League.
That form earned him a Brazil place at the World Cup.
Liverpool’s enquiry got a firm no.
With nine days left, we are left to see if they’ll focus elsewhere or try again.
📋 Our starting XI!
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— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) August 22, 2026