Real Madrid are short of a striker, coach Jose Mourinho said yesterday as his team embarked on a pre-season tour in Los Angeles.

“Speaking for myself and everybody else, we’re missing someone, a striker,” the Portuguese coach told Real’s television station.

“But when you get to mid-July with 90 per cent of the squad in place, it’s just great, that allows you to work differently.”

Real Madrid, who finished last season’s La Liga behind arch-rivals Barcelona, have so far recruited Turkish midfielders Nuri Sahin (Dortmund) and Hamit Altintop (Bayern Munich), Spanish striker Jose Maria Callejon (Espanyol) and French defender Raphael Varane (Lens).

“We’re happy because we’re building something to last for a long time,” said Mourinho. “It’s a team that still has 10 years ahead of it.”

Meanwhile, Mourinho has insisted that the Spanish giants’ new director of football Zinedine Zidane “has a lot to offer, but still has a lot to learn”.

“I like that he is working with us and that he personally decided to change his life and be part of this project,” said the Portuguese coach.

“He believes in this and thinks he can help. He has a lot to offer, but he also has much to learn.”