Bradley Barcola, 23-year-old Paris Saint-Germain striker, was ruled out of the October international break despite being called up to the French national team. The nature and extent of the injury were then awaited. RMC Sport provides an update on the French international’s problem.
“The 23-year-old striker pushed himself at times.”
“According to PSG, while it’s not an injury, Bradley Barcola has been experiencing discomfort since that Champions League match. This discomfort prevented him from playing in the Ligue 1 match against Marseille five days later, on September 22. Back on the pitch, Barcola started for Barcelona in the Champions League, played one half against Auxerre and 59 minutes last Sunday against Lille.
Due to the large number of injuries at PSG in the attacking lineup (Doué, Dembélé, Kvaratskhelia), the 23-year-old striker sometimes forced himself. And during this last match at Pierre-Mauroy, the pain flared up after a shot. To avoid aggravating the injury, the player therefore withdrew from the French team’s training camp.
We remain cautious; this is a statement coming from a media outlet and not an official one. However, there are not always certainties with official statements either, since the FFF and PSG do not agree. There is some sense in what is stated here; we can hope it is based on something solid.
Barcola could have had discomfort and played with it; it happens often. Even if it would have been better to have some rest. This is complicated in a string of important matches and with few options in the squad. There, he has time to rest while France has plenty of resources to face Azerbaijan and Iceland.