Good news from this morning's training session for Atlético de Madrid, where one of the great stars of the red-and-white team appeared. Simeone was able to see Pablo Barrios doing exercises on the pitch, although individually and without putting on his boots. The youth-team player did some running and could return to the pitch sooner than expected.
Pablo Barrios suffered a muscle injury in his left leg during the international break, forcing him to return to Spain early. He already missed the last game against Valencia, in which Simeone opted to play with three midfielders and two forwards. The Spaniard's time out could be between two and four weeks , with the Madrid derby his main objective.
Pablo Barrios is coming
He has certainly been one of the best performing players at the start of the season, becoming a regular starter. Simeone has always had a lot of confidence in Pablo Barrios , even since he gave him the opportunity to debut two seasons ago. This season, despite increased competition with the arrival of Conor Gallagher , the youth player has been able to take a step forward.
However, everything went wrong when the last international break arrived, when the red-and-white player was called up by Santi Denia for the Spanish Under-21s. He did not play the first match against Scotland due to a muscle strain and was forced to return to Madrid a few days later. Once he was able to return home, Atlético de Madrid issued an official statement announcing that he had suffered a muscle injury and would miss several matches.
Initially, it was hoped that he would be able to return just before the next international break in October, when the Colchoneros face Real Sociedad. It seems that his recovery is going better than expected and Pablo Barrios could be back this September. His main objective would be to be ready to play in the Madrid derby against Real Madrid that will be played on the 29th.
Koke has new allies
Taking advantage of the academy player's injury, Simeone gave the opportunity to start both Conor Gallagher and Rodrigo de Paul alongside Koke. It goes without saying that the Atlético captain is one of the undisputed pillars in the midfield, needing allies close to him. Conor Gallagher has already been able to score his first goal in the clash against Valencia and, precisely, it was thanks to a great assist from Rodrigo de Paul .
Both midfielders want to take advantage of Pablo Barrios ' absence to impress Simeone and be able to have more of a role. They will still have more matches in which the Spaniard will remain in the infirmary , which will be a golden opportunity for both. This Thursday, the Champions League debut will be against Leipzig, a very demanding match that will serve to measure the squad.