Bradley Barcola was left off the Ballon d'Or nominations despite winning back-to-back Champions League titles with Paris Saint-Germain, while Alexis Mac Allister confessed he felt 'very sad' after Liverpool did not offer him a new contract.
Barcola left out of Ballon d'Or shortlist
The Frenchman, who joined Liverpool from PSG for £123million in the final week of the summer transfer window, made his debut in Friday's win over Ipswich Town. He will be hoping to make an immediate impact when Atletico Madrid visit Anfield tonight in the Champions League.
Despite being part of the PSG team that won consecutive Champions League titles last term, Barcola was not included on Tuesday's Ballon d'Or shortlist.
Mac Allister's contract admission
Meanwhile, Mac Allister, who joined Iraola at Tuesday's pre-match media briefing, revealed he considered leaving the club during the summer window after receiving no offer of a contract extension.
He said: "There was a chance (I could leave), of course, as everyone knows. I received the news that the club was not in a position to offer me a new contract, which makes me very, very sad because everyone can see I give 100 per cent for this football club every single day in training. I always give my best."
Iraola's response
When asked about the 27-year-old's remarks, Iraola said: "For me, the most important thing is that Alexis wants to be here." The Liverpool manager was then asked whether he had personally discussed the contractual matter with Mac Allister, responding: "No. I try to help all my players. I hope I can improve my players so I can help them win games. Same with Alexis and everyone else. I'm very happy with Alexis and his performances, especially on Friday. I hope I can help him to improve. He's a very good player."
After the mid-week encounter against Atletico, Liverpool return to Premier League action with a Saturday afternoon meeting with Fulham. Tottenham follow in the League Cup, before Liverpool finish before the international break with a visit to Iraola's former club Bournemouth.
