Sevilla midfielder Samir Nasri has been ruled out of this week’s Champions League game against Dinamo Zagreb with a muscle injury, the club said yesterday.
Nasri, who joined the La Liga side on a season-long loan from Manchester City, was hurt during Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Sporting Gijon.
Nasri has made a significant impact at Sevilla, starting nine games in all competitions and scoring three goals.
Sevilla host Dinamo Zagreb tomorrow in Champions League Group H before entertaining Bar-celona in La Liga on Sunday.
Schweinsteiger back in first-team training
Manchester United outcast Bastian Schweinsteiger rejoined first-team training yesterday.
The former Germany captain, 32, has not played a minute for the club since Jose Mourinho’s arrival and seemed certain to spend the entire season out in the cold.
But Schweinsteiger was back in the thick of things at United’s Aon Training Complex in Carrington, and was pictured in a series of images shared by the club on social media.
Schweinsteiger was seen wearing a club-branded hat as he works under Mourinho’s supervision and in one image appears to receive a warm embrace from United skipper Wayne Rooney.
Hamstring injury downs Real’s Pepe
Real Madrid could be without defender Pepe for crunch matches against Atletico Madrid and Barcelona after suffering a hamstring injury at the weekend.
Portugal’s Euro 2016-winning centre-back was replaced just 24 minutes into Saturday’s 4-1 win at Alaves and medical tests taken yesterday have revealed the extent of the problem.
Real have not said how long they expect Pepe to be sidelined for but reports in Spain suggest he could be absent for around four weeks.
That would rule the 33-year-old out of six games in La Liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey, including the derby with Atletico on November 19.
Italian Mancosu lifts Montreal
Matteo Mancosu struck again on Sunday with a second-half goal to hand Montreal Impact a 1-0 win over New York Red Bulls in the first leg of the Eastern Conference semi-finals.
Mancosu, 31, outraced two defenders and one-timed a screamer to the left of goalkeeper Luis Robles on 61 minutes.
The Italian has six goals and five assists in 16 appearances since arriving in July on loan from Bologna.
Mancosu’s role as a scoring target has increased since the departure of striker Didier Drogba, who has 10 goals but hasn’t played in a month.
Pelle unlikely to be recalled by Ventura
Italy striker Graziano Pelle is unlikely to be recalled next month following his tantrum against Spain which led to him being kicked out of the squad, Azzurri coach Giampiero Ventura said.
Ventura has not spoken to the 31-year-old since because he said it was too expensive to call China where Pelle plays his club football with Shandong Luneng.
“He made a mistake, not so much in the way he confronted me but because he was disrespectful to the blue shirt and damaged the image which was built during Euro 2016,” Ventura said.
“He needs a period of reflection... I haven’t spoken to him since because it costs a lot to call China.”
Valencia surgery
Manchester United defender Antonio Valencia has undergone surgery after fracturing his arm in last week’s League Cup victory over Manchester City.
United have not put a time-frame on Valencia’s return but British media suggested he could be sidelined for six weeks.
Matteo Darmian is expected to fill the vacant right-back spot.
Valencia’s injury is another blow to Jose Mourinho’s side, who lost centre-back Eric Bailly to a knee injury against Chelsea last week and is expected to miss up to two months of action.
Player apologises for kicking supporter
A player from Chilean top flight side Audax Italiano has apologised after being arrested for climbing onto a fence and kicking a spectator following a match at the weekend.
Argentine Sebastian Pol was detained overnight by police after his team’s 4-1 defeat at Universidad Catolica on Saturday.
TV pictures showed the 28-year-old climbing onto a fence at the stadium and landing a kick on the supporter’s chest. The fan was knocked backwards but did not fall over.
“I’m really full of regret for this,” Pol told reporters at the police station, adding that the fan had insulted him.
“I apologise to him profusely. I didn’t mean to strike him, I just wanted to frighten him.”