Atletico Releases Statement on Lookman’s Injury After Copa Del Rey Final Substitution
- Atletico Madrid has released a statement on Ademola Lookman after he was substituted in the Copa del Rey final
- Diego Simeone substituted Lookman in the 62nd minute, sparking angry reactions from the fans, particularly Nigerians
- The Super Eagles forward will now train away from the team as the club manages him for the potential risk of injury
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Atletico Madrid has released a statement on Ademola Lookman after he was substituted early in the second half of the Copa del Rey final loss.
Real Sociedad defeated Atletico Madrid on penalties after an intense 2-2 draw in 120 minutes, extending Los Rojiblancos’ trophy drought, which started in 2020.
Source: Getty Images
Diego Simeone substituted Lookman in the 62nd minute when Atletico was 2-1 down, even though it was the Nigerian who scored the only goal at that moment.
Julian Alvarez put Atletico level in the 83rd minute. The Argentine striker and Alexander Sorloth missed their penalty during the shootout.
Simeone’s decision to substitute Lookman, which has become a certainty around the one-hour mark in every match, prompted reaction from the fans.
@ola_bembo wrote:
“Simeone acts like he's rigidly programmed to always sub Lookman after the one-hour mark. Yesterday's was very unnecessary because Lookman could have given them more goals to win the final.”
@FranHClO wrote:
“Why does Simeone always sub Lookman? It’s not a fatigue issue surely because there are no signs of him dropping quality of actions as time goes by. Those minutes after Julián’s goal where we were terrorising La Real… imagine Lookman there, would’ve got something.”
@BnB369 wrote:
“Diego Simeone had a chance to win a trophy, but he threw the opportunity away by removing sub Ademola Lookman earlier.”
@DMplusJ wrote:
“Lookman could score a hat-trick, and Simeone would still sub him at 65 min 😭😭😭.”
@SamiruMena wrote:
“Watch out Simeone will still sub off Lookman in the 60th minute as usual. Lookman has been the best Atletico de Madrid player on the pitch so far tonight but yet Simeone will still go ahead and sub him off in the 60th minute. What a shame.”
Atletico confirms Lookman's injury
Atletico Madrid published a statement via its website confirming that Ademola Lookman and Alexander Sorloth will train away from the team for now.
The club claimed that the decision was taken to prevent a risk of injury, which justifies Simeone’s decision to manage his minutes in games.
Source: Getty Images
“Ademola Lookman and Alexander Sørloth finished the Copa del Rey final with discomfort,” the statement reads.
“The club's medical staff have conducted tests that advise maximum caution to avoid the risk of injury, so they will follow an individualised plan in the coming days, training separately from the group.
“Their return to training with their teammates will depend on how their discomfort progresses.”
According to Marca, the forward is dealing with an adductor injury and could miss the first leg of the UEFA Champions League clash against Arsenal.
Why Simeone substituted Lookman
Legit.ng previously reported that Diego Simeone explained why he substituted Ademola Lookman in the 62nd minute of the Copa del Rey final.
The manager admitted that Julian Alvarez could do what Lookman was doing, and introducing Sorloth will provide a different option in attack.
Source: Legit.ng
