Jose Mourinho was characteristically blunt in his criticism of Bernardo Silva’s first appearance for Real Madrid.The Special One took aim at his Portuguese compatriot’s low level of physical conditioning in the 2-1 win over Ferencvaros in Budapest.Mourinho offered a brutally honest verdict of Bernardo Silva after his Real Madrid debutGettyFormer Manchester City star Silva was renowned for his work rate and pressing off the ball in his nine trophy-laden seasons at the Etihad.The 31-year-old featured in all of City’s 38 Premier League matches last campaign with 34 starts, and only failed to play in five of the club’s 60 games across all competitions.He then made four further appearances for Portugal at the World Cup – the last of which was his country’s 1-0 defeat to Spain in July.Just over a month later, Silva made his unofficial debut for Madrid following his arrival as a free transfer on a two-year contract.However, Mourinho was quick to concede that his new signing was off the pace fitness-wise and ‘has to improve’.“He is very important, but the poor guy is one of those players who benefits mentally from not doing anything during vacation, and he arrived for pre-season at a fairly low physical level,” Mourinho told Real Madrid TV.“He has to improve. But he is an incredible player.”Los Blancos boss Mourinho even revealed that he was forced to change Silva’s position to compensate for his lack of sharpness.“During the game, I realised he was lacking a little physical strength, so I moved him forward to the No. 10 position,” Mourinho added.“He can play there, too. He can play in three or four positions.”Mourinho was quick to highlight the physical shortcomings of Silva after his post-World Cup breakAFPBernardo Silva: ‘I am very happy’Silva, who confirmed his City exit in April, helped the Citizens scoop 20 titles having arrived in 2017 from Monaco.He chipped in with 76 goals and 75 assists from 460 games and captained the club to FA Cup and Carabao Cup glory last season.Silva had been linked with a move to LaLiga champions Barcelona, while Juventus were also thought to be in the race to sign him.The Portugal international was even linked with a move to the Middle East last summer but settled on the Bernabeu in June.“I am very happy,” Silva told Madrid TV after his debut. “This match is very important to prepare for the season, and personally, I am very happy to have debuted with Real Madrid.”Mourinho explained how he adjusted Silva’s role to accommodate his low fitness levels during the matchGetty“It’s only the first week, but I’m very happy,” he continued.“There are still many things to improve, but the most important thing is to gain rhythm to start the season well, and that’s what we are doing.”On his first week at Madrid, Silva remarked: “Tough, but very happy to have started. “I’m trying to get to know my teammates because it’s very important to understand the characteristics of each one to know what they like during matches and training sessions. “I will be focusing on that over the next few weeks, preparing as much as possible to start the season well.”