REAL MADRID
Vinicius agent rejects possibility of his return to Flamengo
Federico Pena has denied the latest speculation linking the Brazilian youngster with a return to his former club on loan.
Vinicius’ agent Frederico Pena has dispelled the latest rumours that the young Brazilian could return to his former club Flamengo on loan in January, on the basis of a supposed clause in his contract with Real Madrid. It had been claimed that the clause would have allowed Vinicius to return to Flamengo in January to gain more experience in top-flight football, before a return to Madrid in July.
However, speaking to Brazil’s GloboEsporte, his agent has rejected this possibility. “This option does not exist in his contract,” said Pena, who pointed out that Real Madrid’s plan is still to closely monitor his development amongst their own ranks. “The plan is being strictly followed, so a return to Flamengo in January is unlikely,” he added.
After an impressive display during the preseason, the young starlet has gone from being the focus of attention for the 80,000 spectators at the Bernabeu to the 8,000 at the Alfredo di Stefano stadium. He was called up to Lopetegui’s squad for the Uefa Supercup final against Atlético and the opening LaLiga game against Getafe, but did not feature in either game and was then demoted to the ranks of Real Madrid Castilla to continue with his development.
Madrid's plan to protect Vinicius
After a quiet debut for the reserve team in Second Division B, he produced an impressive display in his second game against Atlético Madrid B – a game in which he also was subjected to a number of rough challenges, including an incident in which the Atlético captain is clearly seen biting him on the head.
Following that game, Real Madrid are considering the option of only allowing him to play home games with Castilla at the Alfredo Di Stefano, as a means of protecting him from the potential aggression of opponents in away games, as well as from the rough playing surfaces of Second Division B. It is unlikely, therefore, that Vinicius will travel for Castilla’s away game this Sunday against Adarve, who play on artificial grass.
