Bradley Barcola's Liverpool Struggles: Injury Woes

Bradley Barcola’s Liverpool start has gone from frustrating to worrying.

The 24-year-old, signed to bring pace and unpredictability to the left flank, is already dealing with his first setback of the season. Three games, no goals, and now an injury that has halted his rhythm just as he was trying to settle into English football.

Barcola limped off an hour into Liverpool’s Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid, and he has not featured since. Any hopes of using the Carabao Cup to rebuild confidence have been put on hold.

Iraola draws a line: “He is not ready”

On the eve of Liverpool’s third-round Carabao Cup tie against Tottenham, Andoni Iraola cut through any optimism. The winger will not be involved.

“He is not ready to train with the team yet. He is training on his own, but he has started to touch the ball. We want him back as soon as possible,” Iraola said, speaking to Foot Mercato.

The message was clear: progress, yes, but patience still required.

“He still has some time to recover, and it will take a while,” the Liverpool manager added. “With all these long-term injuries, I think (Giovanni) Leoni has a slight edge over him.”

That last line matters. It hints at the internal battle for minutes once everyone is fit, and it underlines how this injury has already cost Barcola ground in the hierarchy.

A race against time – and competition

Barcola arrived with expectation. A young French winger at Liverpool is always going to draw attention, and his profile suggested a player built for the Premier League’s tempo.

Instead, he is stuck in rehab, working alone, “touching the ball” but still away from the group. While he recovers, others are staking their claims. Leoni, name-checked by Iraola, now stands slightly ahead in the pecking order.

For Barcola, the task is no longer just to get fit. It is to make sure this slow, painful start does not define his first season at Anfield.