Real Madrid continued preparations for their final match of the season on Thursday without Vinicius Junior, who has been granted leave by the club and will not feature against Athletic Club this weekend.
The Brazilian forward, who already missed Wednesday’s session, remains absent for personal reasons after ending the recent clash against Sevilla with physical discomfort.
According to reports from OK Diario, Los Blancos have decided to allow the winger additional rest ahead of his involvement with Brazil at the upcoming World Cup.
Vinicius, therefore, brings his domestic campaign to an early end as Madrid look to avoid any unnecessary risks before the tournament in North America.
He is not the only major absentee at Valdebebas. Trent Alexander-Arnold also missed training after being struck down by a viral infection similar to the illness that recently affected Dean Huijsen and Andriy Lunin.
The Englishman is expected to sit out Saturday’s fixture at the Santiago Bernabeu, opening the door for Dani Carvajal to start what could be his farewell appearance for the club after 13 seasons and 27 trophies in white.
Madrid’s injury list remains extensive. Eder Militao, Ferland Mendy and Rodrygo are all ruled out, while Aurelien Tchouameni remains doubtful after suffering a shin problem against Sevilla.
The French midfielder trained individually in the gym earlier this week and will need to come through Friday’s session if he is to make the squad.
There was, however, more encouraging news surrounding Fede Valverde. The midfielder completed a second consecutive session with the group after successfully passing concussion protocols following his collision with Tchouameni.
That incident, which sparked disciplinary proceedings and reportedly led to fines of €500,000 for both players, had briefly cast doubt over Valverde’s availability, but the Uruguayan now appears close to returning for the season finale.
