Endrick has told Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho that he "wants to play" amid growing speculation over a possible January exit.

The 20-year-old has already had plenty of highs and lows this season. Endrick has struggled for consistent minutes at Real Madrid, but when he has been given extended opportunities to impress, he has made an impact.

The youngster has been crucial in the Champions League, helping Real Madrid achieve comeback wins against AS Roma and AEK. However, the fact of the matter is that the Brazil international has only made one start this season - and that's not enough for him.

There is no getting past Kylian Mbappe in the Real Madrid pecking order, so Endrick has had to accept being shoehorned into a wide position. Most of his appearances have come very late in games, with the striker only racking up a few minutes here and there.

Even in the fixtures Real Madrid were winning comfortably, such as against Racing Santander and last weekend against Valencia, Endrick only entered after the 80th minute. Naturally, transfer speculation is rampant.

Endrick ready to leave in January

Mourinho has expressed his regret at Endrick's lack of minutes and previously suggested that he would "fight" anyone trying to sign him. In the summer, he personally intervened to stop the wonderkid from being loaned to AS Roma.

However, Endrick is clearly not happy with his current role, and a January loan move can't be ruled out. There is plenty of interest around Europe, including in the Premier League, where the youngster has been linked with Arsenal, Aston Villa and Man Utd.

Whether a move to England is actually realistic, though, remains to be seen. Premier League clubs rarely tend to do straight loans for high-profile players, which is what Real Madrid would prefer, as they still believe in Endrick's potential.

A six-month loan to a team like Roma, who are still interested and willing to forego a purchase option, might be more attractive to Real Madrid - and perhaps to Endrick, too. After all, he still dreams of becoming a star for the Spanish giants.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti is also keen for Endrick to go on loan to his beloved former club. He would be guaranteed minutes at Roma and get to learn from Gian Piero Gasperini, a "master" at getting the best out of forwards.

This is exactly what Endrick wants, as he has confirmed to Globo after reporting for international duty. While he made sure to emphasise that he won't rush into a decision, he clearly suggested that he would welcome another January loan move after spending six months at Lyon earlier this year.

"I'm very young. I don't need to fly yet, to throw myself off a cliff," he explained. "I'm only 20 years old, and I'll see what happens. I just want to play. I want to be happy, help my teammates, score goals, provide assists, like I was able to do at Lyon, which was one of the best things that ever happened to me and one of the happiest times I've ever been."

Despite seemingly being at odds with Mourinho over the merits of a January loan, Endrick insists that he has a great relationship with the manager. "Mourinho is a guy I have a lot of faith in," he said. "Every day, he comes to me and asks how I am, but nothing about football, it's always about my personal life.

"I value that a lot. He's one of the first coaches who arrives, talks to me, and welcomes me warmly. I'm very grateful for that. I will always give my all for Real Madrid, which is above everything, but with Mourinho's affection, I give even more."

Still, the 20-year-old believes that he needs more minutes, even if he acknowledges that it's not easy for Mourinho to pick him over Mbappe. "You know very well who we have there, he was the second-best player in the world at the last Ballon d'Or. And we know who Kylian is.

"Whenever I have an opportunity at Real Madrid, and I had one now after the last international break, I try to do very well. I've been coming on in games for five minutes, ten minutes. The ones where I had more playing time were against Roma and AEK. Those were moments I took advantage of. I know it's not easy."

Endrick needs to play more to fulfil his immense potential. Time will tell if Real Madrid will allow him to depart in January or if they will force him to make do with a rotational role for the rest of the season.