AEK Athens 2-3 Real Madrid: Struggling Vinicius Junior puts in another alarming performance for Los Blancos

Real Madrid head coach Jose Mourinho said that he was pleased with Vinicius Junior's performance in Wednesday's 3-2 win over AEK Athens in the Champions League.

Vinicius has not played in La Liga for almost a month, having been sent off in the team's contest with Villarreal at Bernabeu on October 10.

The Brazil international was again absent against Racing de Santander on Sunday, but he was brought back into the XI against AEK in the league stage of the Champions League.

Vinicius again found it difficult to make his mark and was replaced in the 81st minute of the contest, three minutes after Kylian Mbappe had made it 2-2.

Mourinho praised Vinicius after the match, telling reporters: "Vinicius Junior did very well, from my point of view, he put in a good performance. Later, of course, I preferred to inject fresh blood into the flanks by making two substitutions."

© Iconsport / Alberto Gardin/ZUMA Press Wire

Vinicius again struggled for Real Madrid against AEK Athens

However, the numbers behind Vinicius' performance paint a different picture.

According to Sofascore, Vinicius lost possession on 11 occasions, while he only had 48 touches during his time on the field against the Greek club.

Vinicius managed three shots but was unable to hit the target, while only one of his three crosses in the Champions League fixture was accurate.

The defensive numbers behind Vinicius' performance are also alarming, having failed to provide a single defensive contribution, while he was dribbled past twice and only managed to win two his seven ground duels against AEK.

© Iconsport / DeFodi images

Vinicius has only scored once for Real Madrid this season

Vinicius has scored just once in 12 appearances for Real Madrid this season, in addition to coming up with three assists.

There had been a host of speculation surrounding Vinicius' future over the summer, with Arsenal making a strong play to sign the 26-year-old.

However, Vinicius ultimately signed a new long-term contract at Bernabeu.

The forward has scored 129 goals and registered 103 assists in 387 matches for Real Madrid during a highly-successful period, but there is no question that the South American is currently struggling for form at Bernabeu.