José Mourinho has confirmed that Real Madrid's interests come above all else, insisting he will not damage Los Blancos for the sake of Vinicius Junior.
The newspaper Sport published the coach's remarks at the press conference ahead of Saturday's clash with Valencia in the 12th round of La Liga.
The Portuguese said: "Vinicius? Real is the most important thing. I would not harm the team of my own will for the sake of one player."
"We could have dealt with it this way during the last two Champions League matches," he continued, "but when Vinicius returns to his normal condition and becomes available, I will handle his situation according to what I see fit."
He went on: "I want the team to think about each match individually, but as a coach I have to think about the run of matches that awaits us. And certainly, the AEK Athens match was suitable for Vinicius, and to rest a player like Arda Guler, who was having some problems."
On his philosophy, Mourinho added: "The coach must do everything in his power so that his players reach the highest possible level, and must try different strategies in play or in managing the players' affairs, and must always believe in the abilities of his players."
He stressed: "A bad player will remain bad no matter how hard you try, whereas a good player will remain a good player no matter how many negative moments he goes through."
Explaining the point, he said: "If the player who played the Athens match had not been Vinicius, but an ordinary player, we would have considered his performance good. He put in a good match, but it was not exceptional. And since the expectations of Vinicius are always that he delivers the level that knocked me out of the Champions League last season, we must continue working on all levels."
"There is something very important to me," he insisted, "which is that his relationship with his team-mates is good, all of them without exception. And when the decisive moment comes, that is the time to determine the identity of the players who will take part, the interest of the team must always come above the interest of any player."