Madrid and Flamengo on alert over Vinicus Jr
Flamengo's talented striker Vinicius Junior, who suffred an injury in the clash against Ponte Preta, has been absent for three matches and both his Brazilian side and Real Madrid are starting to worry.
On October 3, Vinicius' career could have been over before it has begun in the worst possible way. In the match against Ponte Preta, the Brazilian youngster was on the wrong end of a shocking tackle.
After 72 minutes, the 17-year-old striker, on loan at Flamengo from Madrid, went to challenge the ball and was met by Naldo, who had only been on the pitch for eight minutes. The Ponte Preta player made an outrageously high tackle on the Brazilian starlet.
Vinicius was not replaced during the game, but the challenge took its toll on the player. Flamengo issued a statement reporting that the player had suffered a "slight knock", but this was not the case. The talented youngster has been on the sidelines for over two weeks since the tackle.
Madrid is keeping a close eye on the development of the player and they are worried about the length of the absence of their future star. According to Spanish publication 'Marca', through sources from Flamengo, "heis in a transitional phase to return to the pitch and he is already doing light work with the ball and progressive physical exercises."
Everything indicates that the Brazilian U17 international will return in time for the quarter-final of the Copa Sudamericana between rivals Fluminense and Flamengo on October 26. Nevertheless, Madrid are still monitoring the situation.