In what was the first high-level friendly of the pre-season for Real Madrid, the initial impressions couldn't have been better.
Against Fiorentina, Mourinho started three academy players and, surprisingly, played Denzel Dumfries on the right wing ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold, and the gambles paid off at first.
The setup allowed Arda Guler to work his magic freely in the attacking midfield role in the classic 4-2-3-1 of The Special One, and in the 12th minute, he linked up with Alvaro Carreras, who delivered a low cross for Endrick; with his first chance, the Brazilian made a great move in the box and scored with a low, angled shot that beat David de Gea.
Not even fifteen minutes later, the youngster impressed again, helping set up Alexis Ciria to double Los Blancos' lead. He dragged two Fiorentina defenders away with his run, allowing Eduardo Camavinga to set up the academy player for an easy finish.
Endrick has returned to training earlier than expected, pressed harder than anyone, and is making his case to be the first alternative or even the strike partner of Kylian Mbappe.
Beyond individual performances, what stood out was Real Madrid's intensity in winning the ball back high up the pitch, with every player fully committed to pressing the opponent.
While the big names are yet to return and adapt to the new dynamic, Mourinho's influence is already visible in a team that this season look set to run more and better than last year, both in defence and attack.
Even so, Madrid are still making adjustments, and a lapse in defence just before half-time allowed Roberto Piccoli to break into the box and beat Andriy Lunin with a powerful shot to make it 2-1.
The half-time break didn't do the team much good; they made no changes and started to concede more chances after the restart due to fatigue. I
In that context, Moise Kean scored to make it 2-2 in the 58th minute, just two minutes after coming on.
The final stages of the match were played at a slower pace, with many substitutions, and the scoreline remained unchanged until the final whistle.