“He is much better. The idea before starting was that he arrived right against Atlético and we decided not to accelerate, but if we reached the final, always according to his feelings, let him come. When I train today we will have all the information to evaluate it and if it is to play at the beginning or play a little less.”

A furious Xabi Alonso claimed that Atlético Madrid manager Diego Simeone had “crossed the line” with the comments he aimed at Vinicius Junior during Thursday’s hotly contested derby.

The 25-year-old Brazilian forward has not scored at club level since October 4 and has been jeered by home fans at the Bernabeu

Xabi Alonso has steadied Real Madrid's ship in recent weeks after a tumultuous period but the Spanish Super Cup Clasico final against Barcelona on Sunday seems a make-or-break moment for the Spanish coach.

So much of the noise surrounding the 15-time European champions began when Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 2–1 back in October. The Clásico victory was marred by a public falling out between Alonso and Vinicius Junior after the Brazilian disagreed with his substitution.

Xabi Alonso says Vinicius Junior is "fundamental" to Real Madrid after the winger was whistled by parts of the Santiago Bernabeu crowd in their 5-1 win over Real Betis. The Brazilian started well but faded as the game wore on,

“Toni was struggling with his knee, he couldn’t go on, and Raúl was suffering, and we needed fresh legs in defence. Fran and Ferland came on well, and with the double pivot we made more passes. We’ll see how it goes on Sunday.”

Xabi Alonso spoke to the media after Real Madrid's 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup semi-final.