AS: Huijsen Becomes an Undisputed Starter for Real Madrid, Playing All 450 Minutes in Five Matches

According to AS, Huijsen has become an undisputed starter for Real Madrid, playing all 450 minutes in five matches.

Mourinho has asked Huijsen to continue improving his defensive understanding, and the center-back is meeting the coach's demands. He has played every minute of all matches since the start of the season.

This is one of the few bright spots since Mourinho took charge of this 'Real Madrid 2.0' side. Mourinho has been accompanying Huijsen's growth, and he is also the only player Mourinho has coached before. Mourinho understands his potential, and Huijsen is now becoming a key pillar of Mourinho's defense.

The center-back is almost irreplaceable, with both statistics and performances proving it. Mourinho likes this type of center-back who is 'very good defensively.'

"Mourinho is very demanding with me. He pushes me to improve and take the step that I feel I am already taking. That's good because he knows my characteristics. He has helped me a lot, and I am very happy," Huijsen said after the match against Inter Milan.

Last season, Huijsen experienced a difficult year after joining Real Madrid at the age of 20. At the start of this season, he is beginning to establish himself. He took over the symbolic No. 4 shirt, the number left by Alaba and previously worn by legends such as Ramos. For this Spanish international, Ramos has always been an idol. "This is something I have always dreamed of. My idol is Sergio Ramos, and wearing this shirt is a dream for me," he said during the final stage of preseason preparations. At that time, he had already begun adapting to the demands of this new but familiar coach: "Mourinho requires me to be very solid as a center-back." Huijsen is completing this task match by match.

As the season reached its first increase in intensity, he delivered a performance in the Champions League against Inter Milan. Against another Champions League-level opponent, Real Betis, he also hit the post late in the match and nearly helped his team recover a point. Against Lautaro, he faced pressure but held firm. In that match, he won 4 of 9 duels, including 2 aerial duels. He also made 12 clearances, more than Cucurella and Konate behind him combined, whose total was less than half of his. In that match, Huijsen was the main figure in the defense, although as in previous games, he did not have many opportunities to contribute in attack and passing.

However, the Huijsen Mourinho wanted appeared. After the match against Malaga, Mourinho said: "I like center-backs who defend well. If they are also handsome and comfortable on the ball, that's of course perfect, but the first requirement is still defending. He has continued to grow in this area, and I have seen very good progress. His partners will also help him; Konate and Rudiger can both provide support." Huijsen is also learning from his teammates. After the Inter Milan match, he spoke about his center-back partner Konate: "Konate is a monster. He defends very well, is also good with the ball, and he is strong, fast, tall, and powerful in duels. I think we work very well together."

After that match, Konate had already partnered with him in four of his five matches this season. Huijsen remains one of the most indispensable players under Mourinho. So far this season, he has played all 450 minutes. Since coming on as a substitute in the second half against Ferencvaros, he has barely had any rest. Mourinho only left him on the bench for four minutes in the final friendly against Schalke, a match in which he also scored a goal to make it 0-2. Apart from that, he has played the full duration of every match. For Mourinho and Real Madrid, Huijsen's value continues to rise.