Mourinho takes 'low level' swipe at Bernardo Silva after Real Madrid debut

Ruthless Jose Mourinho has told Bernardo Silva that he 'has to improve' and criticised the new Real Madrid star's 'low level' of fitness. Silva, 31, joined Mourinho's side on a free transfer after his contract with Manchester City expired in June.

The Portugal international made his debut on Saturday, helping Real beat Hungarian giants Ferencvaros 2-1 in a pre-season friendly. Silva played the second half and gave fans a first glimpse of the 'incredible player' that Mourinho has described him as.

But it was the rest of his manager's comments which raised eyebrows. "He is very important, but the poor guy is one of those players who benefits mentally from not doing anything during vacation, and he arrived for pre-season at a fairly low physical level," Mourinho told Real Madrid TV.

"He has to improve. But he is an incredible player."

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The Los Blancos boss then explained how he changed Silva's position during the second half to compensate for his apparent lack of sharpness. "During the game, I realised he was lacking a little physical strength, so I moved him forward to the No. 10 position," Mourinho added.

"He can play there, too. He can play in three or four positions."

In addition to his criticism of Silva, Mourinho commented on Vinicius Junior'sr decision to sign a new six-year contract with Real after crunch talks over his future. Arsenal were waiting in the wings with a lucrative offer, but the Brazilian has opted to extend his stay at the Bernabeu.

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"The most important thing is his contract renewal," Mourinho said. "It's a joy for him and for all of us. With so few training sessions, these are players who come into a game with tired legs from training.

"I didn't expect him to run 50 meters with the ball and score. He will surely be better on Wednesday (against Deportivo La Coruna) and even better on Sunday (against Schalke)."

Real will begin their La Liga campaign away to Espanyol on Saturday, August 22 before Mourinho makes his grand return to the Bernabeu against Real Sociedad four days later. Mourinho's task is to bring the Spanish title back to Madrid and end Barcelona's two-year stronghold on the trophy.

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