A headline member of the attacking ranks at Real Madrid could yet miss the club’s impending showdown with arch rivals Barcelona this weekend.
That’s according to Diario Sport, who have on Thursday provided the latest on developments behind the scenes in Spain’s capital.
Real, of course, are fresh off booking their spot in the semi-finals of the Champions League late last night.
En route to their eventual penalty shootout triumph over Manchester City, however, one of Los Blancos’ key performers picked up a worrying fitness issue.
The player in question? Vinícius Jr.
Wide-man Vinícius, for his part, was forced into an extra-time departure from the action at The Etihad, with it noted that, on his way off the pitch, the Brazilian international ‘could barely walk’.
Post-match, it was assured that the problem was little more than fatigue, but, as per the aforementioned Sport, ‘the proximity of El Clásico makes Vinícius a doubt’.
The 23-year-old was pencilled in for a round of medical tests on Thursday, with the results likely to prove the deciding factor in whether or not Vinícius is cleared to face Barcelona.
Should anything shy of a clean bill of health be revealed on the part of the explosive attacker, it is a real possibility that ‘Vini’ could be rested by boss Carlo Ancelotti, ahead of a crucial month for Real Madrid on the domestic and European fronts alike.
Conor Laird | GSFN
