Luis Enrique said questions regarding Kylian Mbappe are "boring" as Paris Saint-Germain begin life without the Frenchman this weekend against Le Havre.
Mbappe, who joined Real Madrid in June, scored on his maiden outing for Los Blancos in their 2-0 UEFA Super Cup win against Atalanta on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old became the first Madrid player to score on his competitive debut in the Super Cup since Marco Asensio did so against Sevilla back in 2016.
And despite no longer being a part of Luis Enrique's squad, the PSG head coach was asked by a Spanish journalist if he had watched the encounter unfold in Warsaw.
"My God these Spanish people are boring. I didn't imagine you were going to ask me a question about Kylian again," Luis Enrique said as he shook his head.
"But I don't have anything to hide. I have always adored Kylian Mbappe and he is a unique and exceptional person. I wish him the best, and that Madrid lose against us."
The Parisians will need to find a new source of goals for the upcoming season after Mbappe posted his best figures in a campaign since his move from Monaco in 2018.
Mbappe managed 34 goal contributions in Ligue 1 (27 goals and seven assists), with Goncalo Ramos (12) and Ousmane Dembele (11) his closest challengers.
However, Luis Enrqiue is relishing the challenge that lies ahead as he goes in search of a fourth major honour at the Parc des Princes.
"If someone else scores 40 goals, that would be great," Enrique said.
"But based on my experience, it is better to have four players scoring 12 - that would make 48, which is more than 40.
"I think it's a fascinating challenge. It's a challenge to show that football is a collective sport."
Athletic Club 1-1 Getafe: Uche earns Geta Azulones draw in LaLiga opener
Christantus Uche's second-half goal earned Getafe a point in a 1-1 draw with Athletic Club to kick off the new LaLiga season.
Oihan Sancet had given the hosts the lead, but despite some late chances from substitute Nico Williams, they could not get off to a winning start.
Uche could have easily given Getafe the lead in the first half after racing in behind Athletic's high line, but he failed to catch the shot cleanly on the bounce as Alex Padilla pushed it away.
Sancet scored the first goal of the 2024-25 campaign just before the half-hour mark, quickly getting it out of his feet to beat David Soria with a pacy shot into the right corner.
Uche did find a way past Padilla in the second half, meeting Luis Milla's cross to head Getafe back on level terms.
Williams could have scored a late winner for Athletic off the bench, but Soria was equal to both of his efforts after he cut inside from the left.
Data Debrief: Close encounters
Both teams may be up and running with a point, but they may look at this as an opportunity missed.
Athletic have now failed to win their first game of the season in any of the last five campaigns (drawing three, losing two), while Getafe are winless in four such matches in the competition (one draw, two losses).
Sancet has picked up where he left off though, and has now scored three goals in his last five games for Athletic, as many as in his previous 29.
Iraola eager to make fast start to Premier League against Forest
Andoni Iraola has stressed the importance of avoiding a slow start to the new Premier League season as they travel to Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
The Cherries initially struggled to find their footing under the Spaniard last season, failing to win any of their first 10 games, but went on to record their highest points tally in the competition.
They did not lose during a strong pre-season but have since lost star man Dominic Solanke to Tottenham, leaving question marks over their chances of repeating their success.
Iraola's main aim, though, is to ensure they get three points on the board sooner rather than later.
"We have to arrive straight away at the beginning of the season," Iraola told Sky Sports. "We cannot control expectations, and I've said a lot of times that I don't trust the long-term goals too much.
"Once we play against Forest, if we lose, [people will say] we're going to get relegated and if we win, [people will say] we're going to be in the top 10!
"You have to control what you can control. We have to focus in every game. We have to try in every game."
Forest, meanwhile, are looking to put a dismal end to the 2023-24 season behind them, having won just four games after the turn of the year, as they embark on their first full season under Nuno Espirito Santo.
The Tricky Trees also had a point deduction for a breach of the Premier League's rules to contend with before they staved off relegation in the final weeks, but they enjoyed a positive pre-season in which they only lost once (won three, drew two).
And Nuno's objective for this season is simple: "Hopefully, we improve.
"That's the main idea, that we improve our game. The results in the pre-season don't mean a lot now. We now have the real moments to evaluate what we need to improve. There's always a chance to do better."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Nottingham Forest – Morgan Gibbs-White
Since their return to the Premier League in 2022, Morgan Gibbs-White has been involved in more Premier League goals than any other Forest player (28 – 10 goals, 18 assists).
His 18 assists in this time are twice as many as any other Forest player, while in the competition's history, only Ian Woan has provided more for the Tricky Trees (27).
Bournemouth – Antoine Semenyo
Solanke scored a hat-trick in this exact fixture last season and netted 19 goals in the Premier League for the Cherries last term, but his departure has left Iraola with a hole to fill.
Semenyo was their second-highest scorer with eight goals in 33 appearances, and it may be up to him to provide the spark for Bournemouth.
MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW
Forest are winless in their last eight league games against Bournemouth (drawn three, lost five), losing each of their last three at home against the Cherries.
And they have lost their opening league game in each of the last five seasons, conceding exactly two goals each time.
However, Nuno has not lost on matchday one in any of his last 11 league campaigns (won seven, drawn four), considering time in Portugal, Spain, England and Saudi Arabia. His side have won their last four such matches, keeping a clean sheet each time.
It is just the second time these two sides have faced each other in their opening league match of a season, following a 0-0 draw at the City Ground in League One in 2007-08.
Bournemouth are actually unbeaten in their last four season openers in the Premier League (won two, drawn two) after losing their first match in each of their first seasons in the competition.
The Cherries have only failed to score in three of their last 30 Premier League games, with each of those coming against last season's top three (0-4 v Liverpool in January, 0-1 v Manchester City in February, 0-3 v Arsenal in May).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Nottingham Forest – 38.1%
Draw – 26.4%
Bournemouth – 35.4%
Ten Hag: Man Utd 'not 100% ready' for start of Premier League season
Erik ten Hag says Manchester United are "not ready" for the start of the Premier League season ahead of their opener against Fulham on Friday.
The Red Devils had a mixed pre-season, winning just two of their five games and losing the other three, before narrowly missing out on penalties in the Community Shield after a 1-1 draw with Manchester City last weekend.
Ten Hag was also unable to work with his full squad during their tour of the United States due to players getting extended breaks following their involvement in the Euros and the Copa America.
Having recently brought Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui to the club on Tuesday, the Dutchman admitted United have not had a lot of time to gel as a group before their first Premier League match.
"It's true [new players need time], it's not the pre-season where in five to six weeks you work on a team, it's very complicated," he said in his press conference.
"The USA tour squad, and then we added the players at Euros and Copa America and now new signings, and we have to make a team from it.
"That team is not ready, but the league starts, and more managers have this problem.
"Still, we have some room, have some principles, and we have to make a start. We can't hide, we have to deal with it.
"We are not at 100% form, but we have to go from game to game to improve and to get higher performance levels in the team and in individual players. We will see how quick we can go with this process."
In two seasons in charge, Ten Hag ended the club's six-year trophy drought by beating Newcastle United in the EFL Cup final in 2023 before clinching the FA Cup against rivals City in May.
Despite failing to hold onto their lead to claim the Community Shield last Saturday, Ten Hag is eyeing more silverware with the club this season.
"Not so different but "We know our targets; we know our direction.
"[Our expectations are] always very high, we want to go for trophies."
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