José Mourinho admitted he faces a "difficult" task fitting Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham into his starting 11, but denied the three stars are "incompatible" as Real Madrid prepare to kick off the La Liga season. Madrid travel to Espanyol on Saturday for Mourinho's first competitive game since returning to the club, looking to end Barcelona's run of back-to-back titles.

"They're incredible players," Mourinho said. "But the tactical structure could be more difficult. [Carlo] Ancelotti found the perfect role for Vini with Brazil, [Didier] Deschamps found the perfect role for Kylian, and [Thomas] Tuchel found the perfect role for Jude [at the World Cup]. But it's harder to find the perfect role for all three. I have a lot of confidence that we'll do well when all three play together. I don't think they're incompatible at all."

Mourinho also addressed the relationship between midfielders Aurélien Tchouaméni and Federico Valverde, who clashed last season. "I decided to start from zero... Seeing how they've interacted, you couldn't imagine what happened." On missing out on Rodri to Barcelona, Mourinho said: "I don't think we have a deficit [in midfield]... we won't have problems." He denied feeling pressure: "I wouldn't say pressure. I'd say adrenaline... Ending the season without trophies at Real Madrid isn't a successful season."