Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso has admitted that he found it difficult to work under Jose Mourinho, whom he has described as "very demanding".

Mourinho, who is currently in charge of Chelsea, managed Madrid between 2010 and 2013, but his spell in the capital ended on fairly poor terms, with talk of unrest in the camp.

"Mourinho arrived at Madrid with a great reputation, with a lot of prestige. Madrid is a club which you have to respect right from the very start," Alonso told Canal+.

"As a person, Mourinho is very demanding – he is demanding with himself and demanding with the players. There were problems in his final year – there were some conflicts between individuals, which had repercussions on the dynamic of the team as a whole."

Alonso is currently with the Spain squad ahead of the World Cup.