Mourinho says Real short of a striker

MADRID (AFP) - Real Madrid are short of a striker, coach Jose Mourinho said Tuesday 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 percent 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."