Vinicius Junior frustrated with Tite’s lack of interest and preference for other wingers—report

Vinicius Junior was upset to learn that he was not in the Brazil squad last week. According to a report from Brazilian outlet, UOL, the winger feels that Tite is not an admirer of his football and has noticed the coaches preference for other players.

In Tite’s press conference to release the latest Brazil squad, the coach mentioned that he had conversation with Marcelo Bielsa, the Leeds coach, regarding Rapinha, and also with Koeman and different club staff members at Barcelona regarding Coutinho, to get a feel for their daily life and habits. According to the report which referenced contact with Vinicius Junior’s environment, no such phone call was made to Carlo Ancelotti or club staff members in Madrid.

Another major complaint Vinicius has had while away with Brazilian national team is that he is asked to train out of position. Many times he is asked to play on the right wing where Rapinha and Antony are more comfortable. During the last international break in October, Vinicius was excluded from both the Colombia and Uruguay games. Afterwards he posted a photo on Instagram, once the Brazilian was back in Madrid, with the caption: “where I am happy”.

Though, the ultimate dissatisfaction for Real Madrid’s young star appeared after a 1-0 Brazil victory over Chile. Vinicius had the chance to start the game on the left wing, but was substituted at half time. According to the report and those close to Vinicius, he was used in an extremely defensive role and asked to shoulder a lot of defensive responsibilities, thus leading to a poor performance and limited contribution offensively.

The Chile game was his only match as a starter for Brazil, all other appearances have been in the final minutes of the match. Vinicius does not feel important for Brazil like he does for Real Madrid. Tension has grown between himself and Tite, with the 21-year-old clearly feeling he has not been given the same treatment as others. Given Vinicius Junior’s club form, questions will arise and the Brazil coach may need to settle his differences with the Real Madrid attacker in order to count on one of the best young talents in all of world footabll.