A poorly healed sprain and ankle mobility issues have been part of the reason Brighton and Hove Albion youngster Valentin Barco has struggled at Sevilla this season.
That’s according to fitness trainer Francisco Silva, who has been discussing the left-back’s issues with Estadio Deportivo.
Barco joined Sevilla on loan in the summer in search of regular playing time after it was made clear that he was not a part of Brighton’s immediate plans.
He started the season in the first team but has fallen out of favour under different Sevilla managers over the last few months.
The Spanish club were keen to move him on in the January transfer window and eventually managed to do so when Brighton agreed a deal to send him to Strasbourg.
He’ll be hoping for a better second half of the season than he managed in Seville, where he was out of the picture and not considered a good fit in any of the roles they tried him in.
That was not a part of the plan for the Brighton man, but Silva insists that underlying injury issues also played their part.
“In Barco’s case he had a poorly healed sprain and had problems with ankle mobility, so many times you have to see after that battery of tests and look for where the red points are that you have to focus on,” he said.
“I think Valentin had a game profile that did not adapt to what Sevilla was looking for. And that’s it. I think the coach opted for other players, a profile that he believed was more in line with his playing style.
“Well, it seems to me that Valentin’s departure was necessary so that both parties could continue on their path. One, not to be at the club without getting any minutes. And the other, so that players that the coach or the club believes in their project can play.”
