Belgium international Yannick Carrasco has revealed that he offered Dalian Yifang team-mate Jin Pengxiang €10,000 after breaking his nose in a training ground incident.
The 25-year-old forward, who left Atletico Madrid for the Chinese Super League in February, concedes that he was involved in a clash which left a colleague nursing a facial injury.
He told the Dalian Evening News: “This incident was quite a while ago.
“It was in a training session, a collision caused a small injury. Jin Pengxiang’s nose was hurt.
“From my point of view, Jin Pengxiang is a very good player and a very good person.
“There is often some bad luck on the training field. I am very sorry about his injury.
“I solemnly apologise to Jin Pengxiang. I hope he will resume as soon as possible and continue to be my team-mate next season.
“I think Jin Pengxiang is a very professional player. In the process of recuperation, he has always supported the team.”
While seeking to play down suggestions that the incident involving Pengxiang was anything other than an unfortunate accident, Carrasco has admitted to having offered to cover medical costs.
He insists he was put under no pressure to pay compensation, with an unfortunate situation having dragged on longer than he had hoped.
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Carrasco added: “I have heard some rumours during this time. I want to clarify that at first I was willing to give him 10,000 euros as medical compensation, but my agent team did not handle it well. He did not receive the money.
“There are also rumours that he asked me to pay a huge amount of compensation. I have had direct communication with Jin Pengxiang and he never asked for that.
“He is a very good player. There are some things I hope to end in a better way as soon as possible, and I am willing to play with him in the team next year.”
Dalian Yifang are hoping that the matter can be brought to swift conclusion, with general manager Zhou Jun eager to avoid a long-running media saga.
He said of the incident: “It happened in a training session after the home game with Shanghai SIPG.
“At a crucial moment in our relegation battle, people asked Jin Pengxiang to disclose the matter. He did not accept and did not speak about anything in any media. I apologised to him on behalf of the club.”
