Atletico Madrid’s new signing Daniel Wass is facing an extended spell on the sidelines after being forced to play on by manager Diego Simeone after suffering a knee injury against Barcelona.
Wass joined Atletico from Valencia at the end of the January transfer window following Kieran Trippier’s move to Newcastle.
The Denmark international made his debut for the club in Sunday’s La Liga match at the Nou Camp, coming on as a half-time substitute.
Wass would suffer a painful collision with former Manchester City forward Ferran Torres in the 90th minute of the match, with six minutes of added time still to be played.
Barcelona were leading 4-2 at the time but had been reduced to 10 men after Dani Alves was sent off in the 69th minute.
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Atletico’s medical team began conducting their checks on Wass on the side on the pitch with manager Simeone visibly frustrated, having already used up all of his available substitutes.
He gestured for Wass to continue playing and helped the 32-year-old to his feet before ushering him back onto the field of play.
Wass attempted to play through the pain barrier but was barely able to walk, collapsing on the pitch at the final whistle as Barcelona held on to win 4-2.
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Atletico later confirmed that Wass had suffered 'a sprain of the internal lateral ligament of his right knee'.
He is now expected to miss up to eight weeks of football and some fans have questioned Simeone’s decision to send him back onto the pitch.
“A coach should have his players best interest at heart. Sending an injured player back on the pitch, at the cost of a more serious injury, for a match that is lost already... What a disgrace. Hope that Wass recovers well!,” wrote one fan on Twitter.
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Another added: “What a disgrace from the coach forcing him to play with an injury.”
Victory for Barcelona sees them move above Atletico into fourth in La Liga, with the Catalan club now two points clear of Simeone’s side.
Topics: Diego Simeone, Atletico Madrid, Football, La Liga
Rory O'Callaghan