Athletic Club head coach Ernesto Valverde has on Sunday provided an update on the wellbeing of goalkeeper Julen Agirrezabala.
This comes after the Spaniard was forced into a premature departure from Athletic’s latest outing.
The Basque outfit are fresh off making it a trio of victories on the spin, at the expense of Celta Vigo.
Owing to a brace on the part of Gorka Guruzeta, added to by Álvaro Djaló late on, Athletic put Celta to the sword by three goals to one at San Mamés.
As alluded to above, however, on an otherwise positive day’s work for Valverde’s troops on Sunday, one source of concern was also forthcoming, on the personnel front.
As much came at half-time, when shot-stopper Julen Agirrezabala failed to reemerge for the 2nd-half.
With no.1 Unai Simón already sidelined through injury, Agirrezabala’s absence quickly set alarm bells ringing in the Basque Country.
Speaking to the media on the back of the full-time whistle this evening, Athletic’s headmaster, in turn, was asked for an update on the situation.
And Ernesto Valverde went on to point towards his side’s change between the posts as having been a precautionary one:
”I can’t say anything. We didn’t want to take any risks and we preferred to make the substitution.”
Asked whether he expects Agirrezabala to be fit to feature against AS Roma in the Europa League next Thursday, Valverde continued:
”We are optimistic. We hope so.”
Conor Laird – GSFN
