Bradley Barcola Injury Scare as Liverpool Defeat Atletico Madrid
Liverpool have been handed a concern over new signing Bradley Barcola after the French winger was forced off during their Champions League meeting with Atletico Madrid at Anfield.
Barcola was handed his first start for the Reds following his substitute appearance against Ipswich and was given the opportunity to impress in front of the Anfield supporters.
However, his debut start ended prematurely when he appeared to pick up an injury and was unable to continue. The winger was seen struggling as he left the pitch, immediately raising concerns among Liverpool fans.
The timing of the setback will be particularly frustrating for Barcola, who had only recently completed his big-money move to Liverpool and was gradually building up his fitness after a period without competitive football.
Liverpool had already been without Cody Gakpo for the Atletico clash after the Dutch forward experienced a minor issue following the Ipswich match. Gakpo’s absence opened the door for Barcola to make his first start.
Before the match, manager Andoni Iraola had indicated that Barcola was ready to play more minutes after training normally with the squad. The Frenchman had featured for around half an hour against Ipswich after having not played since the World Cup in July.
Barcola’s injury will therefore be a concern for Liverpool, particularly with the team facing a busy schedule in the coming weeks.
The Reds will now have to wait for further medical assessment to determine the seriousness of the problem and how long the 24-year-old could potentially be unavailable.
For now, Liverpool supporters will be hoping that the injury is only a minor setback and that Barcola can return to action soon.
