Real Madrid seem to have had little respite from injuries this season, with one player going down as soon as another comes back into the line-up. On the positive side of things, several players have been working hard to come back as soon as possible, and it looks as if Vinicius Junior will slash his recovery time by several weeks.
The Brazilian suffered a hamstring problem in August which kept him out for a month, but did see him return ahead of schedule. He suffered a relapse of the same problem while on Brazil duty in November, and was ruled out provisionally until February, with the tear being more serious.
Yet Relevo say that Carlo Ancelotti might not have to wait long after the Christmas break to call on his most dangerous forward from last season. Vinicius is ahead of schedule with his recovery, and is aiming to be back for the Spanish Supercup semi-final. Los Blancos will travel to Saudi Arabia to face Atletico Madrid in a Madrid derby on the 10th of January, the idea being that he will get back to fitness in training the week prior to that match. Already he has been working individually on the grass, rather than just in the gym.
With Aurelien Tchouameni now back, Arda Guler and Eduardo Camavinga are closing in on a return too, but Dani Carvajal will beat them to it. The veteran right-back is closest to returning, and could do so against Alaves, despite initially being ruled out until 2024.
It is a double-edged sword for Ancelotti. Clearly he could do with one of his best players back as soon as possible for a heavy stage of the schedule, in particular a derby clash and potential Clasico in the final. Yet having had him come back early once, and suffer another injury in the same area, there is inevitably a risk too. Given their injury issues this problem, it would be no surprise if, as with Guler, Ancelotti tried to slow him down.
