One of the major talking points from Xabi Alonso’s short-lived stint as Real Madrid manager was his rocky relationship with Vinicius Jr.
The Brazilian international was far from happy with the manager and expressed his dismay at being substituted constantly and even being left out of the starting XI in some games.
In fact, Vinicius even lashed out at Alonso when he was taken off during the game against Barcelona, and later when he issued an apology, he left out the manager’s name.
Vinicius very happy with Alvaro Arbeloa
Now, with Alvaro Arbeloa taking over as Real Madrid manager from Alonso, Vinicius is delighted with the new head coach, reports Mario Cortegana of The Athletic.
Since being handed the first-team reins, the former defender turned manager has made it a point to highlight Vinicius’ importance to the team and has completely backed him.
This past weekend, with Kylian Mbappe being rested, Vinicius stepped up as the team’s leader in attack, won and scored two penalties in the win over Real Sociedad.
Loving life under Arbeloa. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)
Speaking after the match, Arbeloa was full of praise for the 25-year-old winger, saying: “I’ve been seeing a great Vinicius for a month now, not just in this one game. He’s been playing at a very high level, being a real game-changer.
“For me, he’s a player who goes beyond the numbers, capable of turning matches around. He’s a guy with a huge heart and a great teammate. We’re lucky to have him.”
Vinicius has now scored four goals and registered three assists from seven matches under Arbeloa, with his form and morale seemingly picking up after the issues with Alonso.
And, as mentioned earlier, sources close to the player have relayed to The Athletic that the Brazilian international is ‘delighted’ with Arbeloa as the new manager.
Whether this helps Real Madrid reach an agreement over a new contract with their talismanic forward remains to be seen.