Wolfsburg defender Maxence Lacroix was sent off for a straight red card in his first outing since being linked with a January move to Premier League giants Liverpool.
If Jurgen Klopp and co were casting their eyes over a potential winter target last weekend – Maxence Lacroix reportedly lined up as a replacement for the stricken Joel Matip – it’s unlikely they will have been too impressed by what they saw.
Lacroix lasted less than half an hour in Darmstadt. The Frenchman was sent for the earliest of early baths after miscontrolling a pass and then taking down a Darmstadt attacker when he threatened to race through on goal, a straight red card the inevitable punishment.
Liverpool target Maxence Lacroix picks up red card
“It’s strange what’s happening to us this season,” Wolfsburg coach Niko Kovac bemoaned afterwards, speaking to Sky Germany. “After the early red card, I wondered what we’ve done to deserve such difficulties every time. The team responded with fighting spirit over the course of 90 minutes and that’s what we needed today.”
Fortunately for Lacroix, his moment of madness did not prevent Wolfsburg from securing a hard-earned 1-0 win away from home, goalkeeper Koen Casteels the hero with a stunning double save late in the second-half.
“We have to work hard for our points,” Kovac adds. “And I think – if you take the entire game into account – we deserved them today. It shows that the whole team is alive. We’ve often lacked luck, but today we’ve been rewarded for our efforts.”
Joel Matip out for months
Lacroix is valued by Wolfsburg at around £30 million, the Daily Mail reporting that the 23-year-old is an option for Liverpool alongside Bournemouth’s Lloyd Kelly and Torino’s Perr Schuurs after Matip had his season – and maybe even his Anfield career – ended by a serious knee injury.
The Merseyside giants are also admirers of Bayer Leverkusen’s Piero Hincapie, and held talks over the summer before deciding that midfield reinforcements were more pressing.
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