Santiago Solari will not hold back Real Madrid‘s 18-year-old striker Vinicius Junior but insists the teenager still needs time to mature.
Excitement around the β¬45 million summer signing is growing, particularly after it was his shot that inspired Madrid to a 2-0 win over Real Valladolid on Saturday.
Vinicius came off the bench at the Santiago Bernabeu and many believe he now deserves a place in the starting line-up against Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League on Wednesday.
“We’re all excited,” said Solari, who is in charge at Real on a temporary basis, after Julen Lopetegui was sacked last week.
“He’s very young and has his whole future ahead. He will be a complete footballer in the future and when a player is ready, he will play. It doesn’t matter about the manager, no-one can hold back the talent.
“But we have to take it slowly. He has a lot of things to learn, of course, but he also knows things you can’t teach. He is raw and his football transmits happiness.”
Solari knows Vinicius well from his time coaching Madrid’s B team, Castilla, this season.
Like the Brazilian, Solari has been promoted after Lopetegui was dismissed and two wins on the bounce, the other against Melilla in the Copa del Rey, have helped restore morale.
But he says he remains in the dark as to how long his role as interim coach may last.
“I am committed to my role, whether that be for two more days, or a week, just the same,” he said at Tuesday’s pre-match press conference.
“In football the solutions and problems are never just one thing, whether it is going well or not. We have played two difficult games, which we had to play well to win.
“You do not win games if you do not do things well. We have to do the same tomorrow in a different competition.”
Defender Nacho said Solari had helped lift the players, but still offered support for Lopetegui.
π«πΆπ¬ Solari: "When you hear the Champions League anthem, we all get excited - players, managers, fans."#RMUCL | #HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/kCPv2dmaHt
— Real Madrid C.F. π¬π§πΊπΈ (@realmadriden) 6 November 2018
“It is never easy when a club changes coach,” he said. “Solari has come from within and has started well. The players are happy with him but it is not our decision to make (whether he stays).
“Lopetegui was one of the best coaches I have had, a great coach, and wherever he goes he will have success for sure.”
Lopetegui received a stay of execution by beating Plzen in the reverse fixture on October 23 and despite their domestic struggles, Real go into Wednesday’s game level on points with Roma at the top of Group G.
“This competition is very close to the history of our club,” Solari added. “When the anthem is played, we all get excited. It is great to return to this competition.”
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