Andoni Iraola has provided a reassuring update on Bradley Barcola after the Liverpool winger was forced off during Wednesday night’s 2-1 Champions League victory over Atletico Madrid.
Barcola was handed his first start for Liverpool following his big-money move from Paris Saint-Germain at the end of August. However, his full debut was cut short early in the second half when he went down and appeared to be feeling discomfort around his calf.
The £106m signing was able to walk off the pitch, but the incident immediately raised concerns among Liverpool supporters about a potential injury.
Iraola explains Barcola substitution
Speaking to TNT Sports after the final whistle, Liverpool boss Iraola played down fears that Barcola had suffered a serious injury.
The manager explained that the winger was experiencing cramps and that Liverpool had been carefully managing his return to competitive football.
“It was just cramps, especially with Bradley. We are rushing him but we decided today to ask him to give everything he had,” Iraola said.
Barcola is still working his way back to full match fitness after spending several weeks without playing. Before making a 26-minute appearance against Ipswich last Friday, he had not featured since the World Cup ended in mid-July.
Despite his limited preparation, the French winger was given a starting role against Atletico and managed to play close to an hour.
Barcola came close to making an impact, forcing a couple of saves from Jan Oblak, although he will likely regret missing a big opportunity early in the second half when he was played through on goal.
Thankfully for Liverpool, Iraola’s comments suggest the substitution was mainly a precaution and part of Barcola’s fitness management rather than the result of a serious injury.
Liverpool supporters will now hope the 24-year-old recovers quickly and is available for Saturday’s Premier League clash with Fulham.
