Top News

Andoni Iraola gave an update on Bradley Barcola after an injury scare soon after Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night.

The £106m signing was named in the starting XI for his full debut for the Reds after completing his move from Paris Saint-Germain at the end of August. However, his evening was cut short when he went down in the early stages of the second half and appeared concerned about his calf.

The 24-year-old was able to get back to his feet and walk off the pitch, although Sky Sports reporter Vinny O’Connor said it was a “worry” for both the player and his team after seeing him in discomfort.

Speaking to TNT Sports shortly after the final whistle, Iraola was asked about the concern surrounding Barcola, but the Liverpool head coach played down fears that the winger had suffered anything serious.

The Basque said: “It was just cramps, especially with Bradley. We are rushing him but we decided today to ask him to give everything he had.”

Barcola is still working his way back to full sharpness.

Before his 26-minute substitute appearance against Ipswich last Friday, Barcola had not played any kind of match since the World Cup finished in mid-July, so it is understandable that Iraola would want to reintroduce him carefully after several weeks without action.

Cody Gakpo’s absence on the night may have been a factor in the 24-year-old starting the match, but the Frenchman still got through just under an hour for Liverpool, which was probably close to the amount of game time the head coach had intended to give him anyway.

Although Liverpool’s new number 29 forced a couple of fine saves from Jan Oblak, he will have been frustrated not to score when he was sent through on goal early in the second half. Liverpool will hope that miss proves to be nothing more than a one-off in a red shirt.

Thankfully, it appears Barcola’s substitution was mainly a matter of managing his fitness rather than a forced withdrawal because of a serious injury, and Liverpool will now hope he is fit enough to feature against Fulham on Saturday.

Iraola certainly did not appear overly concerned after the final whistle, which is an encouraging sign for the winger’s chances of being available at the weekend.