Alvaro Arbeloa has given his first press conference as Real Madrid's caretaker manager and his comments on Vinicius Junior were intriguing.
Vinicius is viewed as the main 'winner' of Xabi Alonso's departure after the Spaniard parted ways on Monday.
Vinicius and Alonso held a frosty relationship that often saw them bump heads once the winger was subbed off in games. He endured an 18-game goal drought which fuelled talk of a potential exit in the summer especially with his contract expiring in 2027.
Fabrizio Romano has revealed that they were on bad terms but Vinicius wasn't the only one who was at odds with Alonso. He also claimed that the Br azilian put contract talks on hold to see what happened with his manager and that has ultimately ended in him departing the Estadio Bernabeu.
Arbeloa needs to galvanize a beleaguered Madrid team who suffered a 3-2 defeat to Barcelona in the Supercopa de Espana final on Sunday. This would be Alonso's last game in charge but Vinicius put in his best performance of the season.
Vinicius scored the best goal of the night, going on a dazzling solo run before finding the back of the net. It came as a massive relief for the 25-year-old but he signalled to come off near the end of the final due to fatigue.
Arbeloa responded to a question about the Madrid star by making clear he feels fortunate to have him in his team. He told reporters (via Madrid Xtra):
"I'm lucky to have Vini; he's loved by all the fans. We all saw the final; that's the Vini we want to see, the one who enjoys himself, who laughs, who dances... That's the Vini I want."
It will be interesting to see whether Vinicius enjoys a resurgence under Arbeloa now that Alonso has left the club. His new caretaker manager's comments point out that the Br azil international hasn't been enjoying this football this season.
Madrid players reacted to the Alonso news by posting messages to their former boss and wishing him well for the future. Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham are among those to have penned farewell statements but Vinicius has yet to acknowledge the Spanish tactician's exit.
This is telling regarding the relationship between the pair which was a significant stain on Madrid's season and Alonso's brief spell in charge. He dropped out of form while playing under the former Los Blancos midfielder, a shadow of the domineering winger who had lit up the Bernabeu under Carlo Ancelotti.
If Vinicius wants to prove a point he can do so by returning to his former best and proving Arbeloa right that Madrid are fortunate to have him. He has appeared 27 times this season, posting six goals and eight assists.