Al-Ittihad coach Nuno has denied a rift with star striker Karim Benzema.

It's been claimed Nuno was against the signing of the former Real Madrid star and deliberately snubbed him for the club captaincy this season.

But Nuno has denied the reports, stating: "I want to clarify one thing. I read in the press that my relationship with Karim would not be good. Anyone who knows me will obviously know that this is bull****.

"My relationship with all the players is good. We have a strong group and we are happy with all the players. We are happy that Karim is here with us.

"He is happy, as you can see on the pitch. He likes playing for Al-Ittihad, we are a very strong group."