Jose Mourinho to snub welcoming ceremony and press conference as he gets to work despite Real Madrid contract not starting until July

According to Sky Sports, Mourinho travelled from Lisbon to Madrid on Wednesday afternoon to finalise his return to the Spanish giants. Despite his contract formally beginning in July, the Portuguese manager intends to go straight to work at the training ground upon arrival. He has decided against holding a press conference or staging a welcome ceremony in the immediate future. These formal presentations will be held once his tenure officially kicks off. The pathway for the 63-year-old to take charge was cleared after Real Madrid confirmed the departure of Alvaro Arbeloa on Tuesday evening, allowing the new manager to bring five coaching staff members along with him.

This week, Real Madrid formally ended their association with Arbeloa, who replaced Xabi Alonso in January. He oversaw 28 games after stepping into the role after a spell in charge of the club's Castilla side, winning 18 and losing two of those. Despite his positive record, Madrid finished eight points behind Barcelona in La Liga, lost to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals and were defeated by Albacete in the last-16 of the Copa del Rey - Arbeloa's first match in charge.

Meanwhile, Benfica have appointed Marco Silva as their new manager after confirming the €15 million approach from Madrid to activate Mourinho's release clause.

Mourinho's highly anticipated return to the Bernabeu was delayed due to the recent presidential election at the club. After emerging victorious against Enrique Riquelme on Sunday, Florentino Perez immediately confirmed the re-appointment.

"We have won the elections and will continue working to keep winning titles," Perez said. "I am still here and I am here to defend Real Madrid. We will continue working so that Real Madrid keeps winning titles, and we will fight until the end to achieve the 16th European Cup. We will continue to take pride in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, the best stadium in the world. We are proud to have the best players in the world, proud to welcome back one of the best coaches in the world, a Madridista like Jose Mourinho. And rest assured, with me as president, Real Madrid has been, is, and will always remain owned by its members."

Mourinho will spend the remainder of June assessing his current squad and working closely with his new backroom staff behind the scenes. When his three-year contract formally commences in July, fans can expect a highly publicised official presentation. The veteran coach will then shift his complete focus towards preparing the team for their upcoming pre-season friendlies ahead of a demanding new domestic and European campaign.