Spanish midfielder Carlos Alena has credited Lionel Messi for helping him settle with the Barcelona first-team. The youngster has made his breakthrough with the Blaugrana during the ongoing campaign where he has already a total of 15 appearances while earning promotion from the club’s reserve side.
Speaking to reporters, Alena said that Messi has been influential in helping him settle after making him feel important despite being a newcomer in the setup, he said: “He acts like a captain and he helped me a lot when I came into the setup. He told me to play quietly because there’s always pressure in the first team, but in the end you play with stars. He made me feel bigger, he’s a really nice guy. I’ve been at the club for 14 years and I’ve seen my idols a thousand times on TV or on the pitch, I share experiences with them now on a daily basis in the dressing room and on the pitch. It’s a dream come true and I’m learning a lot.”
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Speaking to RKB, Bartomeu acknowledged that the Argentine is willing to commit the remainder of his career to the Catalan giants and the club have already offered him with the option to sign a new five-year deal, he said: “Leo Messi will continue with us. He is a club player and the relationship will continue forever. He has told us that he wants to continue. We have offered him a new contract over five years and I hope we will continue discussing the deal.”
In a report covered by Goal.com, Kluivert indicated that they are not many strikers across the world, who would fit the scheme of things at Barcelona but he would probably pick Rashford to perform the centre-forward duties in the future, he said: “I like Marcus Rashford, a lot. It will be really difficult to get him over. But he is a good player. I don’t see a lot of players who can play in Barcelona. Aubameyang, perhaps he can play. There is not a lot. Maybe some players who can play in La Liga, young players. But for me, I think the best one is Marcus Rashford.”
Amidst this, Sarri has been regularly questioned about the attacker’s position with the club though the stance from the club remains unchanged. In a report covered by Sky Sports News, the Italian tactician clarified that he has no clue regarding the transfer proceedings but he has no desire to part ways with Willian before the end of the month.
Speaking to Radio Galicia Sport, Mazinho highlighted that his son is far from pleased with the current situation with the Spanish champions and an exit could be on the cards when the transfer window reopens in less than 45 days’ time, he said: “It’s crazy, he can’t understand anything. Only the coach knows what he has or doesn’t have. The truth is that we’re trying to get Rafa into a situation where he plays regularly. We have to look for an exit because it’s really complicated for him here [at Barcelona]. It’s been basically two years hardly playing and he needs a club to give him 30 or 40 games a season.”
Speaking to reporters, Spalletti was full of praise for the current Blaugrana side and believes the Nerazzurri can consider their opponents as the benchmark to make progress towards the right direction, he said: “We’ve always said that we can play against any opponent… this is the chance to see if we really can compete against any side.
Juventus defeated United to win their third straight game in Champions League Group H. A Paulo Dybala first half goal was enough to seal victory for the UCL title hopefuls. Cristiano Ronaldo, who made a return to Old Trafford, had his strong effort saved by David de Gea. United did put up a decent performance, and Paul Pogba could have scored the equalizer if his effort hadn’t hit the goal post, but the team were still outclassed all over the pitch. 