Real Madrid have been dealt yet another injury blow, as Vinicius Junior is now expected to be injured for over a month.
The 23-year-old limped off in the first-half of Real Madrid’s victory at Celta Vigo, and whilst the club are still awaiting further confirmation, it is expected that he will be absent for at least a month with a thigh issue.
The Athletic have reported that his injury is worse than originally feared, as it was previously expected that he would return shortly after the upcoming international break, but he could miss more games than anticipated.
“The Brazil international was assessed on Saturday and it was made apparent that the injury would rule him out for longer than the first prognosis. He underwent further examinations on Sunday, with the same bad signs,” the report stated.
Vinicius is now Real Madrid’s main star in attack following the departure of Karim Benzema, and this is a huge blow for Carlo Ancelotti, who may now have to rethink the side’s tactics.
Vinicius joins Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy, Dani Ceballos and Arda Guler on the sidelines in what has been a difficult start to the season.
What games will Vinicius miss?
As a minimum, Vinicius will likely miss upcoming La Liga matches against Getafe, Real Sociedad, Atletico Madrid and Las Palmas. These four fixtures include two games against Champions League sides and a derby against Atletico, and this is far from ideal for Los Blancos.
He will also miss the upcoming international break with Brazil, and the start of Real Madrid’s Champions League campaign in September.
Jude Bellingham has so far been the main goalscorer this season, and there will be extra pressure on the Englishman to continue performing in front of goal whilst Vinicius is sidelined, and Real Madrid will hope that they do not lose pace in La Liga during his absence.