Emergency plan: Mourinho turns Real Madrid's signing into the new Rodri!

"The Special One" finds his playmaker

José Mourinho faces his biggest dilemma since day one: the search for a creative midfielder. He has asked for one repeatedly. Nobody has arrived, and now he must find the solution from within the squad.

According to the Spanish newspaper "Mundo Deportivo", Rodri was the ideal option and appeared close to the Bernabéu. Then the son of Madrid rejected Real Madrid and chose Barcelona, leaving Mourinho without the piece he had longed to build his play around.

With the Rodri deal dead, the board told the Portuguese coach there would be no new signings without a departure first, insisting the squad already has enough quality in midfield.

Mourinho responded during pre-season by experimenting with a 4-2-3-1 built on two holding midfielders. One of those slots looks reserved for Tchouaméni or Camavinga, after he tried Valverde as a defensive anchor against Schalke.

The second position remains the heart of the dilemma. Mourinho wants a player who can build attacks from the back.

He gave Arda Güler a look, but Bernardo Silva stands out as the most likely candidate. The former Manchester City man proved in the friendlies that he can link defence and attack and pull his weight defensively.

His role never stopped at the anchor position. He also popped up as a right winger and playmaker, and that flexibility makes him the closest fit for the job in the league opener against Espanyol, barring a surprise in the final days of the transfer window.