José Mourinho has declared the transfer market closed at Real Madrid, revealing that Rodrigo Hernández's reluctance to accept an offer from the club derailed a potential signing before the midfielder joined Barcelona. Speaking in his first interview since being presented as manager on Tuesday, Mourinho said he spoke with Rodri on a couple of occasions but that the player's doubts generated doubts in him, insisting the club "cannot have players who think twice."
The Portuguese coach, who was presented without press or fans, returned with "much more maturity" and outlined strict non-negotiable principles including early arrivals, supervised nutrition, and preventive gym work. He praised the dressing room's behaviour and noted Kylian Mbappé joined the squad on August 12 to prepare for the Schalke match, after Xabi Alonso and Álvaro Arbeloa "took the fall" for last season's poor results.