Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente left the team’s practice session on Monday morning after an argument with manager Marcelo Bielsa.
Eight players from the first team were practicing. They were the ones who were on the bench against Real Sociedad last Saturday and were playing against nine players from Bilbao’s reserve team.
During a break, Llorente and other players got close to listen to the Argentine coach. All of a sudden, Bielsa began gesturing toward Llorente and showed him the way to the locker room, and the striker left. The session continued with a player from the reserve team replacing Llorente.
This incident worsens the uncomfortable situation between Llorente and Bilbao. The striker had announced this past summer his intention to leave the team, but was forced to remain with the club after no team offered to pay the buyout clause of 35 million euros ($45.3 million).
After missing the first three league games due to injury, Llorente has come in as a substitute in six other games (three in Spain’s La Liga and three in the UEFA Europa League). Bielsa has not included Llorente in the starting lineup this season.
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