Real Madrid may have won their third successive La Liga game on the bounce and Jude Bellingham may have been the match-winner yet again, but there was still cause for concern for Carlo Ancelotti after Los Blancos' 1-0 victory over Celta Vigo.
Bellingham's strike with ten minutes remaining was enough to separate the sides in a tight game, but the match was somewhat marred by a worrying injury to Brazilian winger Vinicius Junior.
The forward hobbled off after just 18 minutes against Celta Vigo having initially tried to carry on playing after pulling up with what appeared to be a leg injury just five minutes earlier. However, Vinicius was unable to continue and adds his name to a growing injury list at the Bernabeu.
When will Vinicius Junior return from injury?
After the match, Ancelotti downplayed the extent of Vincius' injury, claiming he didn't think it was very serious, a statement that could be supported by the fact that the winger initially tried to play on despite pulling up injured.
The nature of Vinicius' problem is yet to be revealed, although it appeared to be an injury to the back of his leg. It's therefore difficult to know just how severe the concern is, or how long he could be out of action.
Ancelotti suggested that he would almost certainly miss Real Madrid's next game against Getafe and would be given time to rest over the following international break. If all goes well and the injury is indeed a minor complaint, then Madrid could have Vinicius back for the Real Sociedad clash on 16 September.
Thibaut Courtois and Eder Militao have already suffered long-term anterior cruciate ligament injuries, while new signing Arda Guler is also out. Ferland Mendy and Dani Ceballos have been sidelined but are expected to return soon.
Despite the injuries stacking up, Ancelotti has ruled out dipping into the transfer market to replace those in the treatment room, something which may be concerning for Real Madrid supporters.
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Vinicius Junior's injury record
The positive news for Ancelotti is that Vinicius has rarely been injured during his Madrid career so far, only suffering one serious issue - a ruptured knee ligament that kept him out for two months in 2019.
In the past three seasons at the Bernabeu, Vinicius has featured in all but 11 La Liga matches. Most of these absences were not as a result of injury, with the Brazilian simply being rested during busy schedules.
Ancelotti, who will already be cursing his side's injury luck this season, will be hopeful that this proves to be nothing more than a minor concern for one of his most significant players. Madrid don't have too many players who can fill in for Vinicius on the left wing, and none that can do so with such consistency and quality.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Vinicius Junior: Injury progress & potential return date for Real Madrid forward.
