Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola has moved to ease concerns over Bradley Barcola after the winger was substituted following just over an hour on the pitch, insisting the issue was fatigue rather than injury.
Barcola received brief treatment from medical staff during the match before being replaced by Victor Munoz. With Bournemouth preparing to host Fulham at the weekend, there had been worries that the Frenchman might be forced to miss out, but Iraola played down the significance of the incident.
"With Bradley, it's about building his physical condition," Iraola explained. "We don't really know - or we didn't know until now, probably - how much he can play because he hasn't had any minutes in pre-season for PSG. He played 30 the other day [and] today we had some question marks, how many minutes he can give us and probably now we know."
Despite Barcola failing to find the net, Iraola was encouraged by the chances his new attacker created for himself, pointing to two occasions when he broke clear of the goalkeeper. "I'm very happy because also he has had two very clear chances against the 'keeper. He hasn't scored, but I want him there. There is where he has to make the difference, arriving to those spots, those positions, and I'm very happy because in - I don't know how many minutes he's played - two times against the 'keeper is a good sign with Bradley."
Milos Kerkez was another player who required attention late in the game and was withdrawn as a precaution, though Iraola confirmed there was no cause for alarm surrounding either player. "Milos and Bradley were just cramping [and] were just tired," the manager said. "I think I always want to do subs because of this, because you've given everything, you don't have any more, perfect. We do the subs, not because you haven't run and I have to sub you. So, I prefer when you've done everything you can and then we sub you because you cannot run anymore."
Less certain is the situation surrounding Cody Gakpo, who sat out the fixture entirely because of an adductor problem. The forward remains a doubt for the upcoming meeting with Fulham, with Iraola unable to confirm whether he will be fit to feature. "I don't know [if he will be back for Fulham]. I hope so, but I don't know. He doesn't have a proper injury, but he finished with niggles in both of the adductors the other day," Iraola revealed.
The head coach admitted the club had hoped Gakpo would be available sooner. "We expected to have him for today, [but] it hasn't been possible. It's not a big thing, but the problem is we play here [again] in two days and a half. I think now is a moment of recovery in these two days. Let's see how Bradley has finished, how Cody is [and] if he can give us some minutes. If not, Rio, Victor, I think today everyone has done a big effort."
With the quick turnaround before facing Fulham, Iraola stressed the importance of managing his squad's recovery carefully over the coming days. "We need to recover, we need to regroup and think because in two days and a half we play again here [against] Fulham, it's a very important game again for us. So, I hope we can have Cody with us, but I cannot guarantee it."
The upcoming fixture is shaping up as a significant test, and Iraola will be monitoring the fitness of all three players closely as his team looks to build momentum in the coming days.
Based on reporting from Standard Football.