AS: Mourinho Creates Special Plan for Diomande to Avoid Putting Excessive Pressure on Him Too Early

According to AS, Mourinho is gradually increasing Diomande's playing time according to plan, helping the Real Madrid new signing adapt to the team.

In Real Madrid's first three matches of the season, against Espanyol, Real Sociedad and Malaga respectively, Diomande played 25 minutes, 6 minutes and 26 minutes. To ordinary fans, this seems far too little for the most expensive signing in the club's 124-year history. Real Madrid paid €125 million for Diomande. The 19-year-old Ivorian star once amazed the world, and just two years ago he was still playing for Leganes B. Now, his potential is being compared with Yamal's.

However, Mourinho remains calm and continues to carry out the special plan designed for Diomande: reducing his pressure, respecting his development pace, and avoiding affecting the player's growth by rushing things.

After the match against Malaga, Mourinho summarized his view of the young star: "He has to go step by step. He trains very hard and performs well. He is open-minded and humble, eager to learn, and listens to his teammates' opinions. He will continue to grow. I cannot only focus on 120 or 130 million euros... How much did we actually spend? I have to see him as a player who performed at a high level for Leipzig last season. When people talk about such a high transfer fee, they often expect a player to immediately shine after joining. But that is not the case. He is still a young player. Stay calm and relax."

On one hand, Mourinho respects the time a player needs to adapt to the team; on the other hand, he is also considering players such as Guler and Brahim. These players performed well during pre-season and earned their positions in the squad through years of effort.

For example, Alonso did not handle a similar situation this way previously. He placed too much emphasis on newly signed Mastantuono while overlooking players such as Rodrygo, Brahim and even Vinicius. As a result, the coach from Tolosa promoted the Argentine player too early before he was ready to secure a starting role, and eventually lost control of the dressing room.

Under this plan, Mourinho is protecting Diomande and hopes he can shine in the future. If everything goes smoothly, Diomande will gradually receive more playing time and eventually compete for a starting position, but he will not feel pressure because of it. At the same time, Mourinho has spent a great deal of time in training helping the attacker understand how the team operates.

Diomande also understands his current situation, trusts his coach, and always keeps a smile on his face. Although he has already been tested in a top league, he remains very calm. Last season, he played in 33 of Leipzig's 34 Bundesliga matches, starting 28 times, scoring 12 goals and providing 8 assists.

"Mourinho woke me up at 5 a.m. and had a conversation with me. He told me: 'I want you to join my team.'" Diomande revealed in an interview with SportyTV shortly after joining. "I told him: 'If you want me to go there, then of course I will go.' He is both my friend and my boss. I am willing to give everything for Mourinho."

The Ivorian player's declaration sounds very sincere, and he is still waiting for his opportunity while understanding that Mourinho is carrying out a carefully considered plan for him.