Doubts have resurfaced over Aurelien Tchouameni. The France midfielder missed Real Madrid's collective training on Monday ahead of their clash with Real Sociedad, the Royal club's first home game of the season at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Tchouameni had shaken off a minor injury picked up last week, returning to training with his team-mates before Madrid's La Liga opener against Espanyol. Coach Jose Mourinho, though, judged that the Frenchman had not fully recovered his physical and technical sharpness, keeping him in Madrid and leaving him out of the matchday squad.
Back in training yesterday, Tchouameni took part in the session alongside the rest of the squad. His absence from today's collective work only deepens the uncertainty over his fitness for Real Sociedad.
The signs point to Tchouameni missing out for the second game running. He has yet to reach the level of readiness required for competitive action, according to Spanish newspaper "Marca".
He is far from the only absentee. Endrick, Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy, Thiago, Rodrygo and Asensio are all working through different stages of their injury recovery programmes.
Those players will keep up their rehabilitation over the coming days. Madrid, meanwhile, ready themselves for a first outing of the season at the Santiago Bernabeu with a squad stretched thin by absences.