Vinicius must accept a place on the bench at Real Madrid, says Spanish journalist

Brazil forward Vinicius Junior has been told he should be dropped by Real Madrid after a poor start to the season, with Spanish journalist Jesus Gallego claiming his continued selection is damaging the team.

Writing in Spanish newspaper AS, Gallego argued that Vinicius’ current performances do not justify a place in the starting line-up. He also criticised Jose Mourinho’s decision to change the system that had been used in Real Madrid’s matches against Barcelona and Santander to accommodate the forward against AEK Athens.

Gallego wrote: “Jose Mourinho says he would never deliberately harm the team for the benefit of one particular player, and we have to believe him. But his decision to play Vinicius in Athens and abandon the system the team had settled on in the matches against Barcelona and Santander almost caused a collective collapse.

“The idea of using three players in the front line, which has been tried hundreds of times with this group, once again disrupted the team’s balance. It made modest AEK Athens look like one of the elite sides.

“If you have finally found the formation you have been searching for over three months, why return to experimentation? There is only one answer: to play Vinicius without sacrificing Diomande.”

The journalist said Vinicius’ difficulties now extend beyond a lack of attacking output, claiming the forward appears short of confidence and increasingly detached from matches.

“However strong the manager’s desire may be to restore the Brazilian to his best level, at the moment he deserves nothing more than a place on the bench,” Gallego added.

“The problem is no longer limited to his lack of effectiveness in attack. He is now showing a complete lack of confidence, as well as a sense of boredom and indifference towards the game, as if nothing that happens matters much to him.

“It is time for Vinicius to sit on the bench and prove, first in training and, more importantly, through the minutes he receives when he plays, that he wants to regain his place in the starting XI.”

Gallego said Vinicius would need to show more than occasional bursts of pace, a handful of dribbles and a goal if he is to win back Mourinho’s trust.

He must also contribute defensively, support his team-mates and show the same determination on the pitch as the player who has taken his place, Diomande, the article said.

“If he manages that, we will then see how Mourinho deals with his selection decisions,” Gallego wrote. “But if he does not, he will have to wait until June, ready for a major transfer to a club where he can be the star and receive the privileges he no longer enjoys here.”