Xabi Alonso praised Vinícius Júnior as "fundamental" and "decisive" for Real Madrid ahead of two crunch games this week against Juventus in the Champions League, and Barcelona in El Clásico.
Alonso left Vinícius out of the starting XI for Sunday's LaLiga trip to Getafe, before the Brazil international came off the bench to change the game, with two Getafe players receiving red cards for fouling him.
It was the third time this season that Alonso has benched Vinícius when available, with contract talks over a new deal for the forward at a standstill.
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"He's a very good player," Alonso said in a news conference on Tuesday ahead of the Juventus game. "He's fundamental for this team and for this squad. He is this season and he has been for a long time.
"He's decisive, I like to see him smiling. We need him, focused on the game, on what he does well. The day-to-day is good and he's responding well in games."
Vinícius was criticised by Getafe's José Bordalás on Sunday -- with the coach claiming the player had mocked his introduction of substitute Allan Nyom, who was sent off for fouling Vinícius after just 39 seconds -- while defender Juan Iglesias accused Vinícius of "lacking respect" for opponents.
"It isn't easy," goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said on Tuesday when asked about Vinícius. "At 18 years old, a lot of people laughed [at Vinícius]. He didn't do anything wrong at Getafe, and everyone is against him. They looked for him from the start, and he unsettled them.
"He had a good answer, he helped us to be dangerous, helped us score. People are unfair with him, he's a great lad, he helps the team."
Vinícius -- who has scored five goals and provided four assists in LaLiga this season -- has often clashed with opposing players, while also being frequently targeted with racist abuse from fans, with the league passing evidence of a string of such incidents to hate-crime prosecutors.
"It isn't always easy when a stadium targets you, when players hit you," Courtois said. "He's been improving, and I think if he's learnt to live with conflict and unsettle opponents, that's good. I had Diego Costa in my team [at Chelsea] and he was the best at that, he drove defences crazy. If Vinícius can do that, great. It's important for us that he's focused on the game, because he's one of the best in the world."
Alonso said he was still unsure as to whether Dean Huijsen, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dani Carvajal would be available for Sunday's Clásico -- saying a decision would be made on Saturday -- while he also praised midfielder Arda Güler, calling him "a mixture of [Mesut] Ozil and Guti."
"Guti had that quality, the ability to play deeper in build-up, but also play nearer the forward, and play the final ball," Alonso said. "I enjoyed playing with Mesut ... We have to keep pushing [Arda] but we're very happy with his form, his maturity and his role in the team."