Real Madrid give Vini Jr ultimatum after concerning physical tests

Real Madrid have given Vinicius Junior a month to break out of his poor form or risk being dropped after concerns inside the club over his physical conditioning

Vini Jr has scored just one goal so far this season, having signed a new contract with Madrid in the summer to make him one of the club’s highest earners, and the 26-year-old’s remarkable decline was apparent in the 3-2 win over AEK Athens on Wednesday.

The Brazilian was subbed off on the 81st minute, after which Los Blancos scored the winner, having failed to attempt a dribble, let alone complete one, and the club are determined to resolve the issue of why one of their best players has become a liability in recent months.

According to El Debate, Real Madrid are analysing the situation from every angle – sporting, emotional and familial – while the club are also studying Vinicius’ body morphology to see if anything has changed, after fears he does not run at his previous max speed.

Club officials will speak to Vinicius ‘open and honestly’ to see if he is experiencing any problems, with manager Jose Mourinho publicly defending the winger, having been tasked to resolve the issue.

However, it is claimed that Mourinho’s patience will only last if performances improve, with Vinicius given until the matches against Arsenal and Athletic Bilbao in December to turn around his fortunes.

Vinicius has just one goal and one assist in his last nine appearances in all competitions for Real Madrid but Mourinho has continued to start the forward in the hopes of building up his confidence.

However, Madrid are also having to balance the development of €125 million summer signing Yan Diomande, who also prefers to play on the left flank, and Vinicius has often been subbed off late into matches, usually to the team’s benefit.

Vinicius hasn’t completed a 90 minutes for his club in the last two months, while he is attempting fewer dribbles per game than he has in the last six seasons, dropping from 2.4 per game last year to 1.8 in this campaign.

"He's the first to admit he's not at his peak,” club sources are quoted as saying. "Vini is very clear that he needs to work hard to bring back his magic. He has to recover his magic, rediscover that sleight of hand that allowed him to easily outmanoeuvre opponents."

However, it is stressed that Mourinho will do what is best for the club is Vinicius does not impress in the upcoming home matches against ‘weaker’ opposition in Celta Vigo, PSV and Alaves.

Should the struggles continue, the club have warned that they will drop Vinicius and persist with the players who have played well for them even during his decline.