Jose Mourinho is easing Yan Diomande into life at Real Madrid in an effort to prevent the Ivory Coast forward from facing the same difficult situation as Franco Mastantuono, with the manager determined to give his record signing time to develop before placing him under intense pressure.
According to Spanish newspaper AS, Diomande has played 25, six and 26 minutes in Real Madrid’s first three matches of the season, against Espanyol, Real Sociedad and Malaga in La Liga.
For many supporters, that represents a surprisingly small amount of game time for the most expensive signing in the club’s history. Real Madrid paid 125m euros to bring Diomande to the club.
Mourinho, however, is sticking to a carefully designed plan. The manager wants to reduce the pressure surrounding the player, allow him the time required to settle and avoid damaging the wider project by demanding too much too soon.
Diomande is expected to become an important figure for Real Madrid this season and develop into the high-profile star the club signed. But Mourinho summarised his view of the young player after the match against Malaga.
“He has to progress step by step, he is working hard and well. He is open and humble, he wants to learn, he listens to his team-mates and he will develop,” said the manager.
Mourinho added: “I cannot look at the figure of 120 or 130m… how much did we pay? I have to look at a player coming off a high-level season with Leipzig. When we talk about such a huge figure, we are talking about someone who arrives and explodes with all his power from the beginning. But that is not the case, he is a young player. Calm, take it easy.”
The approach allows Mourinho to achieve two objectives at once. First, he is respecting the period Diomande needs to adapt to a new club and a different level of expectation.
At the same time, the manager is treating players such as Arda Guler and Brahim Diaz fairly. Both impressed during pre-season and have spent several years establishing their positions within the squad.
The article contrasts Mourinho’s handling of Diomande with Xabi Alonso’s treatment of Mastantuono. Alonso gave the new arrival preference over established players including Rodrygo, Diaz and even Vinicius Junior.
That decision, it argues, exposed Mastantuono before he was mature enough to become a permanent starter and also resulted in Alonso losing control of the dressing room.
Mourinho’s plan is instead to protect Diomande while preparing him for a bigger role. The Ivory Coast international is expected to receive more playing time gradually and could move into the starting line-up if his progress continues, without being made to feel that he must deliver immediately.
The manager is also giving Diomande significant attention in training so the player can understand the team’s tactical demands and the dynamics of playing within the squad.
Diomande appears to have accepted the situation. He trusts Mourinho, has not lost his smile and remains calm despite already having experience at the highest level.
Last season, he played in 33 of RB Leipzig’s 34 Bundesliga matches, starting 28 of them. He scored 12 goals and provided eight assists.
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