Iraola Confirms Barcola Only Suffered Cramps, Liverpool's £123 Million New Signing Has No Injury Concerns

In the early hours of September 10 Beijing time, Liverpool defeated Atletico Madrid 2-1 in the Champions League. However, around the 60th minute of the match, French winger Barcola, who joined this summer for £123 million, held his left calf and was substituted, causing concern at Anfield.

After the match, Liverpool manager Iraola quickly reassured the outside world. According to BBC Sport, Iraola made it clear that Barcola was not injured and had only suffered cramps.

"Just cramps, no injury."

This was Barcola's first start for Liverpool. Iraola said in his post-match interview: "Just cramps, no injury."

He further explained Barcola's physical condition. Since Barcola did not take part in a full pre-season after joining from Paris Saint-Germain, he is still recovering his match fitness.

Iraola said: "This is about building his physical condition. We did not really know how long he could play because he did not get any pre-season minutes at Paris Saint-Germain."

"He played 30 minutes a few days ago. Before this game, there were some questions about how many minutes he could contribute, and now we should know the answer."

Regarding Barcola's performance, Iraola said he was satisfied: "I am happy because he had two very clear chances in front of the goalkeeper. He did not score, but I want him to be there because that is where he can create danger."

Liverpool's official website also confirmed Iraola's positive assessment, stating that Barcola was substituted because of cramps rather than a muscle injury.

Two excellent chances, more important than a goal

Although Barcola did not score, his movement repeatedly troubled Atletico's defense and he appeared in excellent scoring positions twice.

For a player who has just joined and lacks pre-season preparation, being able to get into the right positions at this stage may be more important than immediately producing goal statistics.

A £123 million price tag naturally brings huge expectations, but Liverpool cannot expect Barcola to immediately deliver a full 90-minute high-intensity performance after missing pre-season.

Iraola's decision to carefully manage his playing time therefore appears reasonable.

The good news is that this appears to be a fitness issue rather than an injury problem. With Liverpool competing on multiple fronts this season, gradually getting Barcola into his best condition may be more valuable than rushing the process.