MADRID (Reuters) - Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is unconcerned about Vinicius Jr's current form and fully expects him to bounce back quickly, he told a press conference on Friday when he was bombarded with questions about his star forward.
Ancelotti acknowledged that Vinicius was not at his best and stressed that the player needs support following criticism of his slow start to the season with Real and lacklustre performances for Brazil in a narrow win over Ecuador and a shock loss at Paraguay during the international break.
"He's not at his best, but he's still very important for us. We're in no hurry because the team has managed to score and he has been important... and the last concern for me is Vinicius' condition, but we have to take good care of him," Ancelotti said ahead of their LaLiga clash at Real Sociedad on Saturday.
"He always works well and it's a matter of just time for him to reach his best level. I can't fool myself thinking that I'll have all players at 100% at all times.
"I don't want to go into his problems in Brazil but what I see is a more general issue because they are not managing to bring out their best version as a group. Here we are delighted with Vinicius because although he is not at his best right now, no one can forget that with Vini we have been able to win two Champions League titles... We have to be very fond of him at Madrid."
Ancelotti said that he will have to evaluate the fitness of Vinicius and his Brazil team mates Rodrygo and Endrick after a long trip back from international duty in order to minimise the risks of injury as his side gear up for a busy schedule with seven games in the next three weeks.
Ancelotti will face a selection headache ahead of Saturday's clash at Sociedad with defender David Alaba and midfielders Jude Bellingham, Eduardo Camavinga, Dani Ceballos and Aurelien Tchouameni still recovering from injuries.
"With the way the calendar is built, we will have injuries, it is just the way it is, so rotating is a good thing," Ancelotti told a press conference on Friday.
"We are used to playing that many games but need to be vigilant monitoring the players' fatigue so they can rest when they need.
"The players who have just come back from the international break, like Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Endrick who had long travels with Brazil, are under observation because they haven't had time to rest or train.
"We have to try to avoid injuries, last year we had a lot of injuries but we managed to cope very well. With this schedule it's normal to have injuries and we have to face it."
Barcelona top the LaLiga standings with 12 points, four ahead of Real Madrid, Atletico and Villarreal and five above fifth-placed Girona.