Real Madrid manager José Mourinho has closed the door on any January loan deal for Brazilian forward Endrick, ending AC Milan's hopes of securing the youngster during the winter transfer window.

The Serie A club had zeroed in on Endrick as a priority target for their attacking line, banking on the 20-year-old's limited appearances at the Santiago Bernabéu as an opportunity to bring him to Milan on a temporary basis.

Mourinho's confidence in Endrick

Mourinho, speaking to TNT Sports Brasil, was emphatic in his backing of the young forward and left no room for doubt about his future at the club.

"Forget about the interested clubs," Mourinho said. "He is a player that I really like, a player that I think has lots of potential and is very important for us."

The Portuguese manager acknowledged that Endrick's start to the season had been hampered by a pre-season injury that kept him out for more than a month, reducing him to only a small number of minutes on the pitch.

Red card changed the plan against Villarreal

Mourinho pointed to a specific incident during Real Madrid's tight victory over Villarreal, where a red card forced him to alter his substitution plans at the precise moment Endrick was set to come on. The manager used the episode to underline how central the forward is to his thinking.

"Whoever is interested in him is going to have to fight very hard with me, because I don't believe that he needs to go out on loan and that he will be a huge success here," Mourinho added.

With Mourinho's position now unambiguous, AC Milan and any other clubs monitoring Endrick will need to redirect their January recruitment efforts elsewhere.