José Mourinho said Endrick could be used for only five to 10 minutes when Real Madrid meet Inter de Milão on Tuesday at 16h (de Brasília) at Santiago Bernabéu, a sign the forward is back in the squad but still not ready for a full match. The coach said he wants to win and is treating the Champions League opener as a single game, not the first of eight.
The timing matters because Endrick trained with the main squad for the first time on Sunday after missing four matches, and Mourinho said he has not played since Budapeste. That leaves Real Madrid managing a return rather than rushing it, even with the league phase beginning against a strong opponent.
Mourinho's message was blunt. He said he does not want a good performance that ends in defeat, and he framed the task around points, not style. Real Madrid had beaten Betis before falling 1-0 last Friday, while Inter arrived with three straight wins in its first three Campeonato Italiano matches and a 3-2 victory over Napoli at San Siro on the weekend.
The limitation on Endrick is not about a new setback so much as basic match fitness. He is back in training after a muscle injury, but Mourinho's own wording made the scale clear: 5 minutes, 10 at most, and only from the bench. That leaves Mendy, Militão, Rodrygo and Asencio still in recovery and keeps the attacking plan narrow for a match that matters immediately.
For Inter, Cristian Chivu said the team wants to be competitive at the level required by the Champions League. For Real Madrid, the sharper question is whether Endrick is used at all, and if he is, whether those short minutes are enough to change a game that begins with both clubs already under pressure to start the league phase well.
