Dean Huijsen's Journey at Real Madrid: From Breakout to Leadership

Dean Huijsen’s second season at Real Madrid starts with a simple message and a brutal demand: the shirt is his to lose.

The 21-year-old centre-back is expected to start against Deportivo La Coruña in the Teresa Herrera Trophy later today, fit again after the minor injury that kept him out of the trip to Austria. The stage is modest, the stakes are not. After a debut campaign that veered between promise and growing pains, this year is about one thing: turning flashes into a full season.

From breakout to backlash

Huijsen’s Madrid story properly ignited just over a year ago, in June 2025, at the Club World Cup. Real Madrid fell short of the trophy, but the young defender walked away as one of the few clear positives in Xabi Alonso’s side. He looked fearless. He looked ready.

That form spilled into the opening weeks of La Liga. Huijsen played with authority, stepped out with the ball, defended on the front foot. Then came Madrid’s first real slump of the season, and with it, the first cracks in his game.

The confidence that had marked him out began to spill into overconfidence. Concentration wavered. Mistakes crept in. His performances became uneven, and with a club like Real Madrid, that usually has only one outcome: he lost his status as an automatic starter.

The response came late, but it came. In the final stretch of the season, Huijsen tightened up, cut out the errors and delivered a more mature version of himself. Now he wants that version to be the baseline, not the exception.

No. 4 on his back, leadership on his mind

Inside Valdebebas, nobody needs to remind Huijsen of the expectations. He is one of the club’s significant investments and sees himself as a future leader of the back line. The shirt number on his back underlines that. At Real Madrid, being handed No. 4 is not a casual decision.

He does have one major ally: Jose Mourinho knows him better than most.

When Mourinho was at AS Roma, he personally pushed to bring Huijsen in on loan. That spell in Serie A accelerated the defender’s development before his move to the Premier League and, eventually, Madrid. Now the same coach who once bet on him in Rome is in charge at the Bernabéu.

Huijsen has started pre-season well. He was in the XI for both training matches at Valdebebas, staking an early claim. A minor physical issue then stopped him travelling to Austria for the first official friendly against Fiorentina, a small bump just as he was building rhythm.

He returned against Ferencvaros, playing the second half and using those 45 minutes to rebuild sharpness. Today’s outing in the Teresa Herrera Trophy is the next step.

Konaté arrives, standards rise

The landscape around him, though, has changed. David Alaba is gone. In his place, Ibrahima Konaté has arrived at the Bernabéu, adding fresh power and pedigree to the centre-back pool and ramping up the internal battle for minutes.

For Huijsen, that raises the bar. He knows exactly what Mourinho wants from his defenders. He has the talent, he has the coach’s familiarity, and he has the club’s trust, symbolised by that No. 4 shirt.

Now comes the real test: delivering the same level every three days and proving he is not just a promising option, but a permanent fixture at the heart of Real Madrid’s defence.

Camavinga and Tchouameni: United watching Madrid’s midfield tension

While Huijsen fights for his place at the back, uncertainty swirls in front of him. Real Madrid have spent much of the summer wrestling with the futures of their midfielders, a debate sharpened by their pursuit of high-profile reinforcements.

One of those targets, Bernardo Silva, has already arrived. His signing inevitably squeezes the space available for others. Throughout the window, both Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga have been floated as possible departures at various stages, even with Tchouameni understood to have agreed a contract renewal.

That tension has not gone unnoticed in England.

According to ESPN journalist Rob Dawson, speaking on The United Stand, Manchester United are closely monitoring both French midfielders as potential “market opportunities” rather than active pursuits.

Camavinga tested on the market

Dawson revealed that intermediaries sounded out Premier League clubs about Camavinga before the window opened.

“United were told before the summer that Real Madrid were going to look to try and get a few players out the door,” Dawson said. “As far as I know, Camavinga was offered to Premier League clubs by intermediaries just to gauge interest.”

That aligns with the uncertainty around his status in the squad. Camavinga wants to stay at Madrid, but he has not nailed down an undisputed starting role under Mourinho. This pre-season has not helped him. At 23, with chances to impress, he has struggled to truly dominate games or force the issue.

For a player of his talent, that flatness becomes part of the conversation.

Tchouameni: renewal agreed, questions remain

Tchouameni’s case is different. Dawson indicated that the French international has agreed a new long-term deal with Real Madrid. Yet the club have not announced anything officially, which leaves a thin layer of doubt hanging over his future.

Manchester United are not pushing hard for either player right now. They are waiting, watching, ready to move if the situation breaks in their favour.

“I think United are looking at those two as market opportunities,” Dawson said. Any move, though, would only happen if several pieces click into place.

“You have to be sure that they want to play for Man United, that they want to leave Real Madrid and they’re not just being forced out, you have to make sure that they fit into your wage structure,” he explained.

The message is clear: United will not do Madrid a favour by simply taking a surplus player. The fit has to work on both sides.

Rodri blow keeps the door open

One decision already shapes the whole picture. Had Real Madrid managed to sign Rodri, the domino effect would have been brutal. With another elite holding midfielder in the building, it would have been almost inevitable that one of Tchouameni or Camavinga left this summer.

Missing out on the Spaniard changes everything. It keeps the door open for both Frenchmen to fight for their place and try to win over Mourinho in the coming weeks.

What happens next hinges on Madrid’s moves before the window shuts. If they still decide to bring in another specialist for the holding role, the squeeze in midfield will tighten again, and that is where Manchester United see their chance.

For now, Huijsen battles to lock down his spot at centre-back, Camavinga and Tchouameni jostle for security in midfield, and the market waits. How many of them will still feel untouchable at the Bernabéu when this window finally closes?