Eddie Howe does not believe Jack Grealish's criticism of Miguel Almiron in Manchester City's title celebrations contributed to the Newcastle United winger's remarkable upturn in form.
In a clip that went viral, Grealish said in the aftermath of City's dramatic Premier League triumph he had welcomed the substitution of Riyad Mahrez against Aston Villa on the final day as his team-mate "played like Almiron".
It was a harsh jibe but one that spoke to Almiron's frustratingly ineffectual performances in a Newcastle shirt.
The former Atlanta United star too often lacked an end product prior to the start of this season.
But Almiron has spectacularly turned his Newcastle career around in 2022-23, scoring seven goals from chances worth just 4.2 expected goals (xG).
After netting his first of the campaign against Grealish's City in August, Almiron hit six in six in October – several of his strikes of stunning quality as Newcastle ended the month unbeaten.
Many have pondered whether there is a direct correlation between Grealish's criticism and Almiron's improved performances, although Callum Wilson this week said his team-mate "just shrugged his shoulders" at the incident.
Newcastle coach Howe was asked about the comments on Friday, and replied: "I've never discussed it with Miggy, because I don't see it being relevant at all.
"He's never discussed it with me. Personally, I don't think it would have any part in his thinking.
"I think Miggy's motivations are much bigger than that and greater than that.
"Any comment that anyone in the world would make – whether it's about me or someone else – I think you have to have a bigger picture.
"And the bigger picture for Miggy is being the best he can be for Newcastle. He loves the club, the supporters love him, he loves the supporters back.
"I think his motivations are greater than any comment from any individual. He's proud to play for his country, as well, so he's got huge positive things in his life that have driven him more than that."
Almiron initially thrilled after joining Newcastle in January 2019 but failed to score his first goal before the end of the season, belatedly ending that wait in December of the same year.
Until this term, he had never tallied more than four goals in a single Premier League campaign, underperforming his xG in three of four seasons.
It was expected then that Newcastle would seek to replace Almiron in the transfer window, but they instead focused their attentions elsewhere, buying goalkeeper Nick Pope, centre-back Sven Botman, left-back Matt Targett and striker Alexander Isak.
"I think the key thing is not to listen to outside speculation," Howe said. "For me, the targets we had in the summer were clear; we recruited in those positions.
"I've always said: if there's an area that we feel or players that we feel can improve the squad, we'll always look at that, regardless of who we have internally. That will never change."
He added: "Certainly the players that are here and have done well for us will be respected."
More recently, comments coming out of City in Newcastle's direction have been more positive, with Grealish's manager Pep Guardiola describing Howe's fourth-placed side as "contenders".
"I'd much rather people said nice things about us than not, but I'm not in control of that and it doesn't really change anything," Howe said.
"It's nice to hear people's opinions of us if they're positive, and if they're not, that's up to them.
"It doesn't change anything about what we're doing; only we can prove whether we're contenders or not. We have to do that on a weekly basis."
Knicks salute 'warrior' Brunson after inspirational injury return in Pacers win
Jalen Brunson was hailed "a warrior" by team-mate Donte DiVincenzo after his return from injury inspired the New York Knicks to a second-half turnaround against the Indiana Pacers.
The Knicks ran out 130-121 winners in Game 2 at Madison Square Garden to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semi-final series.
Things did not look good for the hosts, who also lost OG Anunoby in the third quarter to a hamstring injury, as Brunson was forced to exit during the first quarter with a foot problem.
However, with the Knicks trailing 73-63 at half-time, the point guard received a raucous ovation from the home supporters as he returned to warm up in a bid to shake off his injury.
"He's a warrior," said DiVincenzo, who finished with 28 points. "There was no doubt in my mind he'd be back."
"He's a great leader, and the players all have respect for that when a guy tries to give whatever he has. It says a lot about him," coach Tom Thibodeau added.
"To me, the actions say a lot more than the words. It says that you care a lot about your team and your team-mates."
Brunson's return certainly inspired New York, who were already without Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson and Bojan Bogdanovic due to season-ending injuries.
He notched up 24 of his 29 points during the second half as the Knicks moved halfway towards reaching their first Eastern Conference final since 2000.
"It was really cool," Brunson said of his half-time reception. "But I just knew I had to get my mind in the right place to figure out how I was going to attack in the second half."
'We weren't efficient' - Marquinhos bemoans PSG profligacy after Champions League exit
Marquinhos believes Paris Saint-Germain paid for their profligacy after suffering Champions League semi-final heartbreak against Borussia Dortmund.
Mats Hummels' second-half header from a Julian Brandt corner - the only goal at Parc des Princes - wrapped up a 2-0 aggregate victory for the Bundesliga side, who advanced to their third final and first since 2013.
Meanwhile, PSG's wait to land the elusive European crown goes on, despite a whopping 44 shots across the two legs, while they also struck the woodwork on six occasions - their overall tally of 14 the most recorded by a team during a single campaign.
Indeed, Luis Enrique's side failed to find the net in a home match for the first time since their 0-0 draw with Lorient in their first Ligue 1 match of the season, as their hopes of completing the treble vanished for another year.
"We lacked efficiency," Marquinhos told Canal+. "They scored two goals from corners and a through ball that we had worked on. We had to defend better. These are small details.
"We created chances, a lot more than them. We weren't efficient. They were efficient, they scored two goals and won both matches."
But despite the disappointment, the PSG skipper urged his team-mates to focus on the positives from their run to the semi-finals.
They recovered from a disappointing 4-1 defeat against Newcastle United to finish second behind Dortmund in Group F, before overturning a 4-2 aggregate deficit to deny Barcelona in the quarter-finals.
"There are a lot of things to take away from this competition," Marquinhos added. "At the beginning of the season, no one believed that we would get this far. We've overcome a lot of obstacles, we shouldn't throw everything away now just because we're eliminated.
"You have to remember that it's a new team, with a new coach. There are some positives to bring back for next season. We wanted to go to Wembley for the fans and our families.
"You have to stay calm after the elimination. It's very hard. We've come very close. We had to win tonight and be more efficient."
Al Ahli 1-2 Al Hilal: Malcom saves league leaders' winning streak
Malcom’s stunning solo goal finished Al Hilal’s second-half comeback to earn a 2-1 win over Al Ahli in the Saudi Pro League on Monday.
The forward started his run from inside his own half before slotting in the winner, after teeing up Aleksandr Mitrovic for the equaliser just after the interval.
Feras Al Brikan had given Al Ahli the lead in the 30th minute, but the hosts could not hold onto it against the league leaders.
Al Hilal continue their unbeaten league campaign to a 30th match, moving 12 points clear at the top of the table, while Al Ahli remain in third, now 22 points off the AFC Champions League spot.
Data Debrief
Malcom was one of Al Hilal's most influential players; as well as playing a hand in both goals, he had the joint-most shots (five), and the joint-most shots on target (two), and created two chances for his team.
Al Ahli also struggled to cope with Mitrovic's threat, as the Serbian created an xG of 0.61 from his five shots, having 11 touches in the opposition box.
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