Mourinho: Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappé are ‘trees that bear fruit’

José Mourinho has defended Kylian Mbappé and Vinicius Junior amid jeers from Real Madrid fans by using a Portuguese proverb about fruit trees.

Los Blancos' promising start to the Portuguese's second spell in charge continued with Tuesday's 2-1 win against Italian champions Inter Milan.

But the Champions League opener was overshadowed somewhat by Real fans expressing dissatisfaction with stars Mbappé and Vinicius in the Bernabéu win.

Mourinho's side will again play at home on Saturday when they face Rayo Vallecano in La Liga and the veteran head coach has defended the pair in the build-up.

"In Portugal, there is a proverb that I don't know if it exists in Spain: you only throw stones at trees that bear fruit," the Real boss said of Brazil international Vinicius.

"What has Vini Jr done here in recent years? How many Champions Leagues has he won, and how many goals has he scored? What has he done here in the last five or six years?

"He is a tree that bears a lot of fruit, and people throw stones because they want the fruit. They want the best of Vinicius, and the best will come.

"Against Benfica, he single-handedly decided the tie. That Vinicius will come, but at this moment, he hasn't been at that level yet.

"This is a Vini who is working harder than ever. In this era of data, he is very close to his top speed. He broke his record this season in terms of balls recovered and also in the defensive third… he will arrive soon."

Mourinho is as demanding as anyone – something he noted, referencing comments made by defender Dean Huijsen – and leant on the same Portuguese adage when talking about Mbappé.

"I don't talk about who criticizes," he said. "I use the same proverb as for Vini because he is a tree with plenty of fruit.

"I can comment on his statements, and he's right. A player with over 40 goals is never a problem for the team. When there is empathy, friendship, commitment, and respect, imagine that… then there are things I see and value greatly as a coach.

"Some people don't understand, and that's normal. Some people don't know football in depth. Others understand football in depth but find it convenient not to talk about good things.

"I've seen a team play after the 90th minute with 10 players and Mbappé on the left wing, ahead of (Marc) Cucurella , who was exhausted, with Mbappé also exhausted, defending like an animal and with a very demanding coach who wouldn't stop shouting and motivating.

"I value this absolutely incredibly. It's a joy to see this kind of behaviour. There are people who know as much about football as I do, who have also seen it and don't say it.

"They say we didn't defend well and could have conceded three or four goals. But they don't say we could have scored eight."