Araujo Joins Reds as Pre-Season Intensifies

Ronald Araujo wasted no time getting to work. The defender, who completed his loan move from FC Barcelona on Monday, was straight into the Reds’ midweek session as Andoni Iraola cranked up preparations on the training pitch.

The Uruguay international joined a lively workout that also featured Alexis Mac Allister, back in full flow after beginning his pre-season programme earlier this week. The tempo rarely dipped. Passes fizzed, challenges snapped, and Araujo slotted into the rhythm with little sign of settling-in nerves.

There was more good news for Iraola. Jeremy Jacquet and Curtis Jones, both absent from last weekend’s clash with AS Monaco, returned to the group and took part in the session. Their involvement added depth and competition across the drills, a timely boost with match minutes on the horizon.

The coaching staff pushed the players through rapid-fire rondos and high-intensity team exercises, the kind of sharp, condensed work that usually signals a squad moving out of early pre-season looseness and into something more serious.

All of it comes with a clear target in sight: a friendly double-header against Como 1907. With Araujo bedding in, Mac Allister building fitness, and key names back from the sidelines, Iraola’s side look intent on hitting those games at full throttle rather than treating them as gentle tune-ups.