Real Madrid News

QPR’s Esteban Granero believes the experience he picked up at Real Madrid under Jose Mourinho’s tutelage has been invaluable to him.

The former Spain Under-21 international left Los Blancos during the summer transfer window to sign a four-year deal at the west London club.

And Granero feels he has learned a lot while at the Santiago Bernabeu which will hold him in good stead in the future.

“He [Mourinho] has always wanted what’s best for me,” the 25-year-old told Marca. “He didn’t want me to leave, but he understood.

“He wished me the best, he gave me good advice and he helped with my decisions. I have good memories of him.

“He told me I was going to be happy, and I thought so too. His opinion was important.

“We exchange the odd message and I think a lot of him. He’s taught me a lot.

“He’s a great manager and he treated me well.”

The midfielder also spoke about his time with new club QPR, who currently lie bottom of the Premier League after taking three points from their opening nine games.

“I’m very happy,” said Granero. “So far, the results haven’t been the best, but they will be. It’s going to be a very good season.

“All I want is for time to pass slowly because I’m happy,” he added.

Real Madrid youngster Denis Cheryshev has received a call-up by Russia coach Fabio Capello.

The Russian has been named in the 35-man squad for the friendly with the USA on November 14.

Despite not making a single appearance for the Madrid first team, the 21-year-old has not been overlooked by the former England manager.

“I’m very happy to have made the provisional squad! I’ll just keep on working,” he wrote on Twitter.

The midfielder will be following in the footsteps of his father, Dmitry, who gained international recognition with Russia and also received his first cap against the United States.

Capello, who took over from coach Dick Advocaat after a disappointing Euro 2012, has won all four of his games so far in Russia’s World Cup qualifying campaign, and top Group F having yet to concede a goal. 

Former Real Madrid boss Bernd Schuster has claimed that Jose Mourinho has turned a blind eye to youth development at the club.

The Spanish champions are currently enduring an injury crisis at left-back, but the Portuguese coach has elected to use Michael Essien as a makeshift defender, rather than Nacho, an academy graduate.

The German trainer believes that Mourinho’s recent selections show he is indifferent to bringing through youngsters amid rumours of a rift between the former Chelsea boss and Alberto Toril, the Castilla coach.

“He has done the least amount for the youth team and he won’t do any more, as he is not interested,” Schuster told ABC Punto Radio.

“He only wants to win and he is not interested in bringing a youth player into the senior team and succeeding with that. He only wants personal success, and the more titles won in the shortest time possible the better.

“If we took a list of players that I debuted then we would not finish. I do not know why they asked Toril about this. That’s where the matter started. At Madrid things are very clear.

“There is the first team and few things come after it. Mourinho’s the boss and he decides if a player comes in or doesn’t come in, and where each one plays.”

However, Schuster did go onto praise the position that Mourinho has created for himself at the Bernabeu, which sees him take complete control over all affairs.

“He is the first coach who has been able to be in charge where he has to be, not only in the team, he is the boss of all of it. He handles things as he likes.

“I think it’s good. He has had a lot of success, and he will bring that to Madrid, where they are just missing the Champions League. This year they’re going for it even more.”

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has defended his unwillingness to promote players from Castilla, the club’s B team, citing a difference in tactics between the two sides.

The Spanish champions are currently enduring an injury crisis at left-back, but the Portuguese coach has opted to use midfielder Michael Essien as a makeshift defender rather than Nacho, who came through the ranks at the Bernebeu.

“We play with a different system, they have another model,” he told reporters.

“There are Castilla players that play in positions that do not exist in the first team, like Jese [Rodriguez] who plays as a ‘nine and a half’.

“Also, our wide players play further forward, and in Castilla they play a 4-4-2. There is limited common ground in terms of the style of play, and the kids are the ones who end up paying the price.”

Mourinho has however, called up three youngsters, Jose Rodriguez, Alex and Ruben Yanez to the squad to face Alcoyano in Copa Del Rey on Wendesday, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Mesut Ozil rested.

Jose Mourinho insists Real Madrid will not underestimate Alcoyano in the first-leg of their Copa del Rey round of 32 encounter on Wednesday evening.

The Blancos will be without first team regulars such as Xabi Alonso, Sergio Ramos, Pepe, Mesut Ozil and Cristiano Ronaldo, but the Portuguese coach has stressed this does not mean they are taking the match lightly.

“All the competitions and all the games are important. We’re going to Alcoy to play against a team that hasn’t been at the top of football for a time, but we respect them and we know about the game’s difficulty,” Mourinho stated at a press conference.

“We respect Alcoyano and the competition, that’s the first thing. Last year we got to quarter-finals and before that we won it.

“If we come home with an open result or a small step toward classifying, that’s not bad. We won’t have it easy tomorrow.”

Wednesday’s game kicks off at 22:00CET.