“It is just cramp, there is no injury,” Andoni Iraola insisted after £123m summer signing Bradley Barcola was forced off during Liverpool’s 2-1 victory over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.
The 24-year-old went off the pitch holding his left calf 60 minutes into the encounter at Anfield, but his new head coach didn’t seem too worried about his fitness post-match.
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“It is about building his [Bradley Barcola’s] physical condition,” Iraola said, after marking his Champions League managerial debut with a win.
“We haven’t really known until now how much he can play because he didn’t get any pre-season minutes with Paris St-Germain.
“He played 30 minutes the other day. There were some question marks around how many minutes he could give us this match, and we probably know the answer now.
“I’m very happy [with his performance] because he had two very clear chances against the goalkeeper. He didn’t score, but I want him there because that is where he has to make the difference.”
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Iraola also provided an update on fellow forward Cody Gakpo‘s fitness, with the 27-year-old currently dealing with “some adductor issues”.
The Spaniard said Gakpo has a “50-50” chance of being available for Fulham‘s visit to Anfield on Saturday (15:00 BST) after missing the Champions League opener.
“He doesn’t have a proper injury in terms of it being bad, but he did finish [the last game] with niggles in both of his adductors,” Iraola explained on Wednesday.
“We expected to have him for this match but it hasn’t been possible. It isn’t a big thing, but the problem is we play here again in two and a half days.”
