Vinicius Junior and David Alaba return to group training with Real Madrid

Real Madrid have desperately needed good news in recent weeks and, following the return of Rodrygo Goes and Aurelien Tchouameni to action, Vinicius Junior and David Alaba took an important step in their own recovery.

Both participated in a section of group training on Friday morning, according to Diario AS, an advance in their respective recoveries. 10 days away from a full year since his meniscus and cruciate ligament injury, Alaba has been involved with the rest of the group as he prepares to return to action. Given the length of time out and the severity of the injury, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Alaba didn’t return until 2025.

Vinicius, on the other hand, should return next week in all likelihood. He was initially ruled out for three weeks after the draw against Leganés two weeks ago, but Los Blancos tend to give longer recovery times for their injured players. Real Madrid face a crucial Champions League clash on Tuesday night against Atalanta in Bergamo. That is sandwiched between the League clashes with Girona in Montilivi and Rayo Vallecano in Vallecas.