Mourinho avoids Valverde question as Real Madrid prepare for Barcelona clash

Jose Mourinho has declined to reveal whether Federico Valverde will continue at right-back when Real Madrid face Barcelona at Camp Nou on Sunday in the 10th round of La Liga.

Valverde has started in that position in Real Madrid’s past two matches, despite Trent Alexander-Arnold and Denzel Dumfries being available among the substitutes.

Mourinho was asked about the possibility of selecting the Uruguay international at right-back again after Real Madrid’s 4-1 Champions League victory over Leipzig.

“I will not talk about what will happen on Sunday, and I will not answer whether he will play in this position again on Saturday,” Mourinho said. “But I will say that Fede performed well.”

He added, in comments reported by Marca: “Fede playing at right-back hurts me, because it means leaving out two players who normally play in that position.”

Mourinho also discussed Thibaut Courtois and rejected the idea of ranking the goalkeeper as the best player in that position he has managed during his career.

“I have never done that. I have never spoken about my players,” he said. “I am asked this question very often: choose the best 11 goalkeepers from all the players you have coached over 20 years.

“But what I can say is that when Courtois joined us at Chelsea – when he was about 20 years old – he ended up becoming the first-choice goalkeeper, even though Peter Cech was the best goalkeeper in the history of the Premier League at that time.”

Real Madrid won the league title with Courtois in goal, while Cech – whom Mourinho described as the best of them all – played only in cup competitions.

“If I said something like that, Julio Cesar, the former Inter Milan goalkeeper, would call me within two minutes and say: ‘Oh, so Courtois is the best? But you won the Champions League with me!’” Mourinho added.

“He would certainly call me immediately. I have always maintained this kind of respect for my former players.”