Vinicius Jr must be a Real Madrid starter

Aside from the fact that a failing Real Madrid currently has nothing to lose, Vinicius Junior has earned the right to start against Real Valladolid in La Liga 

Ever since completing his move to Real Madrid from Brazil giants Flamengo, last summer, many doubts existed over whether Vinicius Junior would be worth the $50 million investment in the long-run.

But just three months into the new season, and it is already obvious that the teenager has a lot to offer, and must start against Real Valladolid in Saturday’s La Liga clash.

Real Madrid have been massively under-performing this season, something mirrored by their forwards with no exception. From injury-related problems to issues over consistency from the likes of Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale, there is not a single player who has stood out the way Cristiano Ronaldo used to.

https://twitter.com/BrazilStat/status/1058020633811079169

It is becoming quite obvious following the Portuguese’s departure, the champions of Europe need fresh blood. Vinicius Junior is one rising talent who seems destined to go onto great things. After becoming a top star in the Brazilian league, the best player and top scorer of the South American under-17 championship, the teenage-sensation has caught the eye in Spain with his dominating displays for the Castilla side.

Delivering the goods for Castilla

As a reward for his consistent performances by the then Castilla coach, Santiago Solari, Vinicius was handed his first ever Real Madrid start against UD Melilla in the Copa del Rey in midweek, where he stole the spotlight by offering two assists to Marco Asensio and Alvaro Odriozola respectively.

In addition to that, Vinicius impressed with his creativity and ability to take on opponents, albeit against a third division side. But the point is that he out-performed some of his teammates, the likes of Lucas Vazquez, against the very same side.

[fve]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjTtOdN-qpc[/fve]

Real Madrid aren’t up against top opposition on Saturday at the Santiago Bernabeu – although Valladolid are above them in the table – and in all fairness, it would be unlikely to see Vinicius Junior do any worse than his teammates have been doing across this campaign.

So why try something that has already failed numerous times, instead of trusting a young talent who keeps getting better and better?

At this stage, Real Madrid might well want to put faith in their $50 million signing and forget about his age and so-called lack of experience. In fact, just like Barcelona are doing with compatriot Arthur Melo, or Monaco with Kylian Mbappé, who has since gone all the way to become a world champion with his country.

Trusting young talent is the way to go for Real Madrid and every other top club, in an inflated market where any decent player would most probably arrive for thrice the price he would have arrived for, a couple of years ago.

In a dark start to the season for Real Madrid, a Brazilian teenager may well bring the flair their front line has been lacking so far. And the U-20 international will benefit from the appointment of his former Castilla coach Santiago Solari, in order to get the opportunity he has been waiting for and completely deserves.