Al Ittihad Coach Reacts to Rumours of Feud With Benzema: “It’s Absurd”

• Nuno Espirito Santo has debunked rumours of him having a dispute with Karim Benzema
• Santo was rumoured to be displeased with Benzema and wanted him sacked
• Benzema joined Al-Ittihad this summer after 14 years at Real Madrid

Al-Ittihad manager, Nuno Espirito Santo responded to rumours of a dispute with the current Ballon d'Or holder Karim Benzema, denying any feud with the French forward.

The Portuguese manager had been rumoured to have fallen out with the 34-year-old forward by refusing to make him the club captain and reportedly asked for Benzema to be sacked by the club’s hierarchy.

According to RMC Sport, Nuno has now denied any rift with Benzema, claiming the rumours of his fallout with the former Real Madrid player as 'absurd' after Al-Ittihad’s victory against Al-Riyad.

"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.

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"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."

Benzema scored his first goal of the season as Al-Ittihad maintained their winning start to the Saudi Pro League with a 4-0 victory over Al-Riyad on Thursday night.

Al-Ittihad squash Benzema’s unhappy claims

Meanwhile, Al-Ittihad have denied claims of Karim Benzema being unhappy at the Saudi Pro League club as the forward recaptured his scoring form for the Saudi League champions, Tribal Football reports.

The Real Madrid legend was said to be at odds with Al-Ittihad coach Nuno Espirito and had reportedly demanded his agent find him a move away despite only joining the club this summer.

But Al-Ittihad have denied the reports by insisting Benzema is happy, with a post on social media which revealed the forward as being all smiles while relaxing.

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Benzema scores first league goal

Earlier, Sports Brief reported Karim Benzema finally scored in the Saudi Pro League, scoring his first goal for Al-Ittihad against Al-Riyadh on Thursday night.

Benzema, whose future at the Saudi club has been the subject of intense speculation, scored his first goal in the top flight after three appearances.

Although the 35-year-old made a strong start for Al-Ittihad with three goals in his initial games of the 2023 Arab Cup, he struggled to find the back of the net once the 2023-24 league season kicked off.