Carlo Ancelotti makes exciting Endrick admission after Real Madrid friendly | OneFootball

Carlo Ancelotti admitted new Real Madrid signing Endrick has "something special" after the striker made his first appearance for the club in Thursday's 1-0 defeat to AC Milan.

It was back in December 2022 that Madrid secured a deal for Endrick worth an initial €35m, plus a further €25m in add-ons, and the teenager finally completed his move this summer to join up with the team for pre-season.

Endrick made his first appearance for the team in the 1-0 defeat to Milan, playing the first 45 minutes, and Ancelotti admitted he saw enough to get excited.

"It's difficult to draw a conclusion," Ancelotti began. "What I see is that he has something special, he can reach top speed in a very small space, he is very skillful in his run, these are qualities that he has.

"In this sense, he is a talent. It is rare to see a player with these characteristics."

Endrick caught Ancelotti's eye / David Ramos/GettyImages

Ancelotti went on to confess that Endrick and the rest of the Madrid squad are not yet at their best, with work on both fitness and tactics coming up over the next few weeks.

"The objective is to try to bring in the players who are in the best physical condition possible," he said. "We don't do tactical work only for the youngsters. When everyone returns, we will also work on tactics.

"We have to adapt the new players, but we can't think about adapting Endrick or [Kylian] Mbappe in five days."

Madrid face Clasico rivals Barcelona on August 4 and also have a meeting with Chelsea to look forward to before the end of the week.