Former Real Madrid striker calls Vinicius a “lost cause” in brutal assessment of his attitude | OneFootball

Real Madrid may have started their La Liga campaign with three points against Espanyol, but Fernando Morientes believes there are still important questions for Jose Mourinho to answer.

Speaking on El Partidazo de COPE, the former Real Madrid striker looked beyond the result and assessed the team’s early-season structure. 

While he was largely satisfied with the attacking options available to Mourinho, Morientes identified midfield as an area that could become a concern as the campaign progresses.

But the strongest part of his analysis came when the conversation turned to Vinicius Junior.

Morientes worries about Real Madrid’s midfield

For Morientes, it is too early to make final judgments about Mourinho’s Real Madrid.

The team has already had to cope without important players in the midfield, meaning the manager has not yet had his preferred options available.

However, Morientes believes the picture is clearer in attack.

Arda Guler’s role on the right has helped give Real Madrid a more settled attacking structure, and the former striker believes Mourinho has enough quality to feel comfortable about his forward line.

Fernando Morientes is content with Real Madrid’s options in attack. (Photo by Carlos Alvarez/Getty Images)

“As for the front four, I think it’s all sorted, barring any unexpected injuries.”

The midfield is a different story.

Morientes believes Real Madrid have lacked a genuine playmaker for the last two seasons, and he feels the team still need to manage their midfield resources carefully over a demanding campaign.

Discussing Bernardo Silva, he explained where he sees the Portuguese midfielder making the biggest impact:

“I prefer Bernardo Silva to play a bit further forward, a bit like Modric, who used to push forward and get in behind the defence.

“He’s a very intelligent player, not so much for scoring goals, but for delivering that final pass.”

More to the story

Morientes’ concern is not limited to the quality of Real Madrid’s midfield, as he is also looking at the demands of the season.

With a packed fixture schedule ahead, Mourinho will need to rotate his players effectively, particularly experienced figures. 

The former Real Madrid forward has hit out at Vinicius Jr. (Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images)

Morientes hopes the squad do not become short of options in the position where he believes Real Madrid have lacked a specialist profile for some time.

“I hope the team doesn’t end up short-handed in that position, because for the last two years the team has lacked a playmaker.”

Morientes’ verdict on Vinicius

The discussion became more direct when Vinicius’ attitude was brought into focus.

Morientes first acknowledged that footballers mature at different speeds and that development is not always straightforward.

“Players go through a process of maturing, just like children; there comes a time when some mature earlier, whilst others mature later.”

But he then sided with Santiago Cañizares, who had previously criticised Vinicius over his behaviour during matches.

“As things stand, I’m jumping on the Cañete bandwagon and see him as a lost cause, and I think that’s what drives him,” he concluded.