José Mourinho launches defence of Vinícius Jr. after Real Madrid’s win over Inter Milan | OneFootball

Real Madrid head coach José Mourinho has launched a stern defence of attacking star Vinícius Jr. This comes after the Brazilian was again the target of discontent on the part of the Blancos faithful on Tuesday.

Real Madrid were of course back in action yesterday evening, welcoming Italian heavyweights Inter Milan to Spain’s capital for the respective clubs’ Champions League opener.

When all was said and done in a pulsating affair, the hosts emerged with all three points, courtesy of a 2-1 triumph.

The performance produced by Mourinho’s troops, though, left a lot to be desired, with a whole host of star names having struggled across the 90 minutes.

One such player to have toiled in efforts to make an impact in the final third was the aforementioned Vinícius Jr. Despite working hard for the team and producing a number of defensive contributions over the course of the clash, the winger was in turn targeted with whistles and jeers upon being substituted late on.

Drawn on Vinícius’ name post-match, José Mourinho therefore made use of the opportunity to throw his full backing behind the 26-year-old:

“Vini has worked very hard. He’s not in killer mode yet; he’s not Vini yet, but he works very hard. Anyone who works hard and gives their all deserves respect.”

Conor Laird – GSFN