Al-Ittihad coach Nuno Espirito Santo denies rift with Karim Benzema

The news of a rift between them has been doing rounds in the Saudi press

The Saudi press has been reporting a reported rift between its head coach, Nuno Espirito Santo, and star striker Karim Benzema. The reports made their way into the public domain just a while after the French superstar and former Galactico started his second match for Al-Ittihad after a shock transfer saw him leave Real Madrid while being the reigning Ballon d’Or holder.

The reports suggested that the Portuguese coach did not request the French superstar’s transfer, leading to tension between the two men in the dressing room. The report claimed that Benzema’s request to be captain of the side was denied by the Portuguese coach, leading to even further complications.

Nuno Espirito Santo then reportedly informed the Al-Ittihad board that Benzema “does not fit in” with his management style and Al-Ittihad’s playing scheme. The reports also indicated that Benzema himself was not content to play under the Portuguese, as his treatment at Al-Ittihad was completely opposite of his expectations. The reports further said that a shock transfer out of Al-Ittihad was on the cards as Benzema was keen on leaving.

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However, after weeks of speculation, Nuno Espirito Santo himself has come out with a rather candid statement on his relationship with Benzema. The Portuguese dismissed any rifts between him and the player and iterated that there were no differences between him and the superstar. He was quoted as saying:

“I read in the press that my relationship with Karim Benzema was not good; everyone who knows me knows that, of course it’s absurd; my relationship with all the players is good; we have a strong group; we are happy with all the players; we are happy that Karim is here with us.”

Speaking on Benzema, he said:

“He is happy on the pitch, you can see, he loves playing for Al-Ittihad. I understand what’s going on… but we are a strong band, a very, very, very, very strong band.”

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