Eden Hazard has suffered a new injury and is expected to be out for around three weeks. It's an injury which comes as a setback for Real Madrid, but which provides Vinicius with a fresh opportunity to up his minutes.
The Brazilian is Real Madrid's alternative on the left wing and could have a run of five or six matches to prove what he can do, making the most of the space opened up by Hazard's latest absence.
That will start this Saturday afternoon with Real Madrid's trip to face Sevilla at the Estadio Sanchez Pizjuan, before they take on Borussia Monchengladbach at home, Atletico Madrid at home, Athletic Club at home and Eibar away. Hazard could potentially return for the home game against Granada on December 23.
Although Marco Asensio is also an option for the left wing, Zinedine Zidane has tended to use him on the right. Lucas Vazquez and Rodrygo are also more commonly used on the right, so this leaves the left flank free for Vinicius to roam
Vinicius' best run as a starter for Real Madrid came in 2018/19 when Santiago Solari started him in 12 matches in a row, starting on January 6, 2019, against Real Sociedad and ending on February 13, 2019, after the Champions League first leg against Ajax.
Solari rested Vinicius in the following match, ending his run of consecutive starts. After the winger's return, he suffered an injury in the Ajax second leg.
This season, he has started six of Real Madrid's 15 matches so far, five of them in LaLiga Santander and one in the Champions League.
The last time Hazard was out, Vinicius achieved four starts in a row. But, with the return of the Belgian he was relegated back to the bench.
Now there is a fresh opportunity to make the left wing his own, at least for the next two to three weeks.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com