Vinicius Junior to remain at Real Madrid as agent rules out Flamengo return

Vinicius Junior is set to remain at Real Madrid rather than secure a loan return to Flamengo, claims the teenage forward’s agent.

Speculation regarding a possible switch to familiar surroundings has surfaced on the back of the highly rated 18-year-old being denied senior football in Spain.

Real included Vinicius within their pre-season plans after welcoming him into their fold over the summer and had him in their squad for a UEFA Super Cup clash with arch-rivals Atletico Madrid.

He has, however, been demoted to the Castilla side since then, with Julen Lopetegui boasting plenty of proven performers within his attacking unit at first-team level.

Having previously taken in 69 appearances for Flamengo, the youngster is understandably determined to ensure that his development does not stall.

His representative has, however, played down talk of a possible return to Brazil, with their no clause within his contract that would allow such a switch to be pushed through quickly.

Frederico Pena told Globo Esporte: “This option does not exist in his contract.”

He added on Madrid’s desire to continue monitoring Vinicius progress at close quarters: “The plan is being strictly followed, so a return to Flamengo in January is unlikely.”

Vinicius was involved with Lopetegui’s squad for a La Liga opener against Getafe but is yet to see competitive minutes for Real.

His 2018-19 outings to date have come for the Blancos’ reserve team in the Segunda Division B.

He made a quiet start to life with a team managed by Santiago Solari but burst into life during a recent derby date with Atletico.

Vinicius bagged a brace in a keenly contested 2-2 draw, with that fixture also seeing him involved in a tussle with Tachi which resulted in him appearing to be bitten on the head.