Iraola Provides Update on Bradley Barcola Following Worrisome Injury During His First Start After £123m Liverpool Transfer
LIVERPOOL has reason to be worried as their new £123 million acquisition, Bradley Barcola, was substituted due to injury during their victory against Atletico Madrid.
The Reds staged a comeback to defeat the Spanish side 2-1, with goals from Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister overturning Marcos Llorente’s opener.
However, Barcola was substituted just before the 60-minute mark after grabbing his left calf.
The French player was replaced by fellow summer signing Victor Munoz, but manager Andoni Iraola has provided reassurance to fans that the injury may not keep him sidelined for long.
In a conversation with Steven Gerrard and TNT Sports after the match, the Spanish coach indicated that the dynamic winger suspected he might be experiencing cramp.
Laura Woods observed Barcola telling the manager “cramp” as he left the field, with the former Bournemouth head coach offering him encouragement as he was substituted.
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Iraola mentioned: “I simply asked him if it was cramp, and he affirmed, which was a relief.
“It was just cramp. We have been a bit eager with Bradley since he hadn’t logged any minutes during pre-season.
“We wanted him to play but instructed him to give us whatever he had. We have another match in three days.”
Barcola was seen walking around on the pitch after the match, interacting with both teammates and opponents, looking fine.
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It capped a challenging evening for the French international, who had a clear chance on goal but failed to hit the target.
He missed the shot wide, and many fans may feel that for £123 million, you must convert such opportunities.
This was Barcola’s first start for the club after featuring for the last 26 minutes of their 2-0 triumph over Ipswich over the weekend.
However, he is evidently still adjusting after missing most of PSG’s pre-season leading up to his transfer.
Manager Iraola appears optimistic that the situation isn’t serious, and Barcola’s mobility at the end of the game suggests it may not be an issue.