YANNICK CARRASCO was left out of Atletico Madrid’s squad for the visit of FC Copenhagen in the Europa League as the Belgian closes in a move to China.
Diego Simeone selected a group of 19 players for the Round of 32 second leg.
And the Belgian, 24, was not among them — as he is close to complete a switch to Chinese Super League side Dalian Yifang.
The move comes as somewhat of a surprise given Carrasco had been a transfer target for the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea.
However, the January arrival of Vitolo has limited his playing time and he needed to leave in order to save his World Cup dream.
Carrasco was prone to drifting in and out of games and, despite being capable of producing something magical, he was often accused of going missing during matches.
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The Belgian was signed from Monaco in the summer of 2015, having produced a masterclass display when the French side beat Arsenal 3-1 at the Emirates.
And, in his first season in Spain, scored Atletico’s goal in the Champions League final.
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But AS report he has a distinct character and often fell out with his team-mates.
He has made 123 appearances for the club, scoring 23 goals.
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