José Mourinho has a genuine crisis on his hands. Real Madrid's Champions League clash against Inter could force the Portuguese into some unconventional thinking.
Spanish newspaper "AS" report that Real Madrid will be without Bernardo Silva, Arda Güler and Eduardo Camavinga against Inter through suspension. Aurélien Tchouaméni remains sidelined by injury.
That leaves Mourinho with a real problem. Right now, only Fede Valverde is available as a natural midfielder, and that may push the coach to change his style or use players out of position.
Jude Bellingham heads the list of proposed solutions, according to the newspaper. Mourinho, though, prefers to deploy him behind the striker and close to the box, where his goalscoring instincts count.
A return to midfield could still be the logical move for the Englishman, with Brahim Díaz coming in as playmaker and the 4-2-3-1 kept intact.
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Trent Alexander-Arnold is another option. Mourinho has already used him in roles that free him to drop into deeper areas, and the coach may switch to a 4-3-3 with Trent, Valverde and Bellingham forming the midfield line.
Such a setup would station Trent on the right of midfield, Bellingham on the left and Valverde in the middle.
"AS" added: "Dean Huijsen appears as a bolder solution, especially since he possesses great quality in dealing with the ball, while Jorge Cestero represents another option from the club's academy, particularly with the continued absence of Thiago Pitarch through injury and the departure of Manuel Ángel to Fulham.
Mourinho knows Huijsen's qualities well. He tried to sign the defender on loan at Roma when the player was at Juventus, and the Spanish-Dutch centre-back actually started out in the youth ranks as a striker before dropping back.
Playing him in midfield could hand Real Madrid extra quality in possession and build-up. It might also hurt their ability to bring the ball out from the back, given how much they lean on Rüdiger and Konaté at centre-back.