Former Real Madrid goalkeeper suggests Vinicius is reintegrated into the squad as Mbappe’s back-up

Former Real Madrid goalkeeper Santiago Canizares has suggested Jose Mourinho solves his Vinicius Jr problem by using him as a back-up to number nine Kylian Mbappe.

Vinicius has missed Madrid’s last four league games after being sent off for pulling the hair of Villarreal’s Nathan Saliba. His ban was made up of two matches for the offence, and two more for his angry reaction to being dismissed.

His absence has coincided with Madrid finally hitting top gear and they head into the international break on the back of four straight league wins to move up to second, three points behind Barcelona.

Vinicius has played in the Champions League wins over Roma, RB Leipzig and AEK Athens – his suspension applied to domestic games only – but has struggled to make much of an impact.

And with his preferred left-wing berth now occupied by summer signing Yan Diomande, Vinicius will struggle to find a way back into the starting XI when Madrid resume their Liga campaign at home to Celta Vigo on November 21.

Canizares, who played for Madrid between 1994 and 1998 before a long, successful career at Valencia, says the Brazil international should be used in a different role to the one he has played for the bulk of his time in Spain.

He told El Partidazo de COPE: “Now let’s see how it works. Vinicius is a player who obviously won’t go unnoticed, he [Mourinho] is not going to keep him out of the way and for me the solution is that he plays as a number nine, that he plays like Mbappé [as his back-up].”

Vinicius’ return could mean Real Madrid lose ‘good vibes’ – Canizares

Canizares says it is possible for Mbappe and Vinicius to play together but that threatens to disrupt the chemistry created by the Frenchman, Diomande and Arda Guler.

“The two on the field… the team can still win games, but they will no longer have the same identity, the same balance and the same good vibes,” added Canizares.

“A coach must do everything to have his players at the highest level, try different strategies, of play, of personal management. A bad player will always be a bad player, a very good player is a player who can have negative moments and leaves the door open to return to his normal situation.”

Canizares also feels Vinicius must work harder to fit in with the team’s current structure.

He added: ”This does not have a straightforward solution. If he [Mourinho] is capable of making Vinicius run and integrate him into the team dynamic, I will take my hat off to him.”