Vinicius Jr has been warned he is not guaranteed a starting spot on his return from a four-match ban.

The Real Madrid forward has missed their LaLiga wins over Sevilla, Barcelona and Racing Santander through suspension.

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He will remain unavailable for the trip to Valencia this coming weekend.

Vinicius Jr was handed a four-match ban following his red card against Villarreal back on October 10.

While he has featured in the Champions League since, Real Madrid have handled his absence in impressive style.

The latest of their three successive wins came at Racing on Sunday, with Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Yan Diomande scoring.

Vinicius Jr contract mistake

European football journalist Andy Brassell believes their form could keep Vinicius Jr out of the side following the international break.

He will be permitted to return against Celta Vigo on November 21.

Speaking on Sunday's Trans Europe Express, Brassell explained: "It’s really interesting to see, not only did they win really comfortably at Racing, who I think have been a little bit better than people expected at the start of this season after being promoted, and it was interesting that Mbappe, Bellingham and Yan Diomande scored.

"Of course, the bigger absentee being Vinicius Jr and that suspension, he’s ended up missing El Clasico, which they won, and then he ended up missing this tricky away trip, which they won with comfort.

"The three guys who were there to animate the team in his absence all scored.

"It just makes me think, what do you do with Vinicius Jr ultimately? Do you rotate him with Yan Diomande? Is that the only thing you can do because it’s not a 'dumpable' contract, is it?

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"I don’t for a minute think Florentino Perez has the self-reflection to think this, but if he were to wake up tomorrow and say, ‘we made a massive mistake extending Vinicius Jr, my ego got in the way when really we should have let him go.’ What do you do to correct that error?"

Vinicius Jr was handed a new six-year deal through to 2032 by Real Madrid in August.

It followed strong transfer interest from Arsenal, with his previous contract expiring next summer.

The 26-year-old has struggled for form in front of goal since extending his stay at the Santiago Bernabeu, though.

Vinicius Jr has just one goal and three assists in 11 appearances across LaLiga and the Champions League.

While he is available to face AEK Athens in Europe on Wednesday, his domestic ban still has one match remaining.

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In his absence, Jose Mourinho's side have won all three matches including a 2-1 victory over Barcelona in El Clasico at the Camp Nou.

Those results leave Real Madrid in third, three points adrift of their bitter rivals at the top of the table.