José Mourinho faced an unenviable task heading into the new season. Real Madrid were badly short of numbers in the first team, but the club's academy "La Fábrica" once again threw the Portuguese a lifeline, handing a raft of young talents the chance to prove they could compete.
When Mourinho started work at Real Madrid 36 days ago, on 13 July, he had just six fit senior players to call on: Lunin, Raúl Asencio, Dean Huijsen, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Álvaro Carreras and Camavinga.
The solution lay inside the club. Mourinho called up a host of academy players, and several caught the eye during pre-season, chief among them Juan Martínez, Mario Rivas and Alexis Ceriá, with Chesterio also forcing his way into contention, according to a report in "AS".
13 talents get the opportunity
Beyond training, Mourinho handed opportunities to 13 academy players across the four matches Madrid played on their European tour in the closing fortnight of pre-season.
Some barely featured or filled marginal roles, among them Mestre, Javi Navarro, Fortea and Aimar, plus Jacobo, who has since joined Strasbourg.
A handful got limited minutes, such as Lamine Fati, Lacosta, Yáñez and goalkeeper Illia Voloshyn, who came on for the final minutes against Schalke.
But four names stole the spotlight: Martínez, Rivas, Ceriá and Chesterio.
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Martínez and Rivas: a centre-back duo
Juan Martínez, who turns 19 on Thursday, and 18-year-old Mario Rivas kicked off pre-season together after Mourinho paired them at centre-back in the friendly against Fiorentina.
Mourinho praised the pair afterwards. "They are two boys with a wonderful future, and as long as the match did not enter its physical dimensions, they showed an amazing level of quality," he said.
Faith duly renewed, the Portuguese fielded the duo in the first half against Ferencváros before Dean Huijsen and Antonio Rüdiger replaced them.
Rivas featured again in the second half against Deportivo alongside the Spain international defender, then got the last four minutes against Schalke.
He also opened the scoring against Ferencváros, proof that he was there for more than just making up the numbers.
Ceriá catches the eye on the wing
Alexis Ceriá, 18, appeared in all four friendlies, starting two and coming off the bench in the other two.
The left winger impressed. He showed real boldness and a willingness to run directly at goal, scored against Fiorentina and set up a goal in the training match against Leganés.
Few made a stronger impression on the coaching staff over the summer.
Chesterio: a step ahead of everyone
Chesterio, 20, is the most advanced of the group, having already lived the dream of an official first-team appearance last season.
Mourinho used him in all four friendlies as a fresh option in midfield, and the player showed a strong personality and plenty of self-confidence in the minutes he got.
For Martínez, Rivas and Ceriá, the next step is to earn that official Real Madrid debut in a competitive match.
With Mourinho still hunting for extra solutions this season, the doors of "La Fábrica" look wide open. Pre-season proved the academy can offer far more than names to paper over a numbers shortage.