Carlo Ancelotti is said to have questioned Real Madrid's decision to sign Endrick and the Brazilian "paid dearly" as a result, according to a report in Spain.
The 19-year-old forward, who finally completed his move to Real Madrid from Palmerias last year for a reported £50.7 million, made 22 appearances in La Liga across the 2024/25 season, but only three of those were as a starter.
In fact, the teenager was named in their starting XI just once during last season's Champions League campaign as he made eight appearances off the bench for Carlo Ancelotti's side.
Endrick played a bit-part role compared to the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius and Rodrygo, something Catalan newspaper Sport pointed out in April, when they made a bold claim about Ancelotti's thoughts on the deal.
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"Mbappe's arrival was never questioned, but the signing of Brazilian Endrick was challenged by the Italian, who warned the board about the saturation of attackers in the squad, which would make it impossible to give everyone playing time," Sport claimed, as per UOL.
"Endrick paid dearly for this, as despite being the striker with the best goals-per-minute average, he had fewer opportunities compared to his competitors Mbappe, Vinícius, Rodrygo, and Bellingham."
Ancelotti previously told Endrick that if he wanted to make it at Madrid then he would have to "suck it up on the bench" before becoming a first-team regular.
Speaking ahead of their Copa del Rey semi-final against Real Sociedad in April, the Italian said: "He's not lacking anything, it's a case of competition. There are players who are extremely high quality.
"I think the history of this club shows that many starters have sucked it up on the bench for a long time. Vinicius, for a couple of years, Rodrygo, [Federico] Valverde, [Eduardo] Camavinga. If you want to be at Real Madrid, you have to suck it up on the bench for a bit."
Endrick suffers another setback ahead of 2025/26 campaign
The forward is expected to miss the first two months of the new season under Xabi Alonso after he suffered another hamstring problem.
Having missed the end of the La Liga season and then the Club World Cup following a series of hamstring issues, Endrick is now expected to be out of action for between eight and 10 weeks, according to ESPN.
He is expected to miss games against Osasuna, Real Oviedo, Real Mallorca and Real Sociedad.
The teenager has been linked with a loan move away from Madrid, but Xabi Alonso has said he expects the player to contribute for Los Blancos this season.
Topics: Endrick, Real Madrid, La Liga, Carlo Ancelotti
Jack Kenmare