Zidane is pushing Vinicius towards a loan move
With his omission for the PSG game on Tuesday, Vinicius has now been left out of the French coach’s team sheet for two consecutive games for the first time this season.
Zinedine Zidane is pushing Vinicius towards taking up a loan assignment in January.
Having left the young Brazilian out of his squad for the fourth time in seven games, Zidane seems to be leaving the young Brazilian very little choice if he wants regular first team football.
With his omission for the PSG game on Tuesday, Vinicius has now been left out of the French coach’s team sheet for two consecutive games for the first time this season.
Over the course of the campaign, the 19-year-old winger has gone from being a regular feature to an under-used periphery player. He had played some part in seven of the first nine games of the season (starting three) before his first squad omission against Granada on October 5.
His last start came the week after Granada in the embarrassing defeat at Mallorca, and since then he has played a just 56 minutes, a mere 8.8% of the total available.
Vinicius has yet to convince Zidane
Vinicius has never completely won over Zidane, whose lack of enthusiasm for the player was seen in the final stretch of last season.
The French coach returned to the club when the Brazilian was injured. But after his return to full fitness in mid-April, Vinicius played a total of just 130 minutes for Zidane in the final handful of games at the end of the season, with his scarce prominence costing him his place in Brazil’s Copa America squad.
As a show of commitment, the Flamengo academy graduate cut his holidays short to begin pre-season preparations early. But the Frenchman never really saw a place for him in his starting XI. The Madrid boss would have been happy to see the Rio-born player leave on loan in the summer. However, Florentino Perez would not allow that to happen.
Vinicius’ regression at Real Madrid
Vinicius has been experiencing a sharp regression at the club. Last season, before Zidane’s return, he started three games against Barça, one against Atlético, another against Sevilla and both of the Champions League ties against Ajax. In this campaign he has featured in any of the big games against Sevilla, Atlético, Galatasaray and PSG.
His precarious situation has not weakened the young Brazilian’s resolve to remain at the club. However some members of his camp have begun to think that a loan assignment would be the best option for him in order build his confidence and earn valuable first team minutes. And Zidane is also sending that message with his squad choices.
Valladolid president Ronaldo Nazario tried to acquire Vinicius on loan in the summer and will no doubt try again during the winter transfer window. The Brazilian owner will be more than happy to take him off his former team mate Zidane’s hands should he continue to discard him. But the ultimate decision, of course, will fall on the club itself.