Marcus Thuram plundered a hat-trick to propel Inter to a 3-2 victory over 10-man Torino in Saturday's Serie A clash.

The victory places Inter second in the league standings with 14 points, two behind leaders Napoli.

Visiting defender Guillermo Maripan was given a straight red card after 20 minutes for a late challenge on Thuram.

Inter swiftly made their numerical advantage count, with Thuram heading in from close range five minutes after the sending-off.

Thuram doubled Inter's lead in the 35th minute with another header from close range. However, Torino pulled one back a minute later, with Duvan Zapata taking advantage of a defensive error to finish from inside the box.

Thuram completed his hat-trick on the hour mark, being in the right place to tap in a rebound after Torino goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic had saved a header.

Torino forward Nikola Vlasic converted a penalty four minutes from time after Hakan Calhanoglu had tripped Adam Masina in the area to tee up a grandstand finish.

However, the visitors were unable to mount a final push to find an equaliser.

Data Debrief: Three-goal Thuram does Torino damage

Thuram scored his second hat-trick while playing in the top five European Leagues (in all competitions), after his previous one for Borussia Monchengladbach against Oberachern in the German DFB-Pokal in 2022.

In doing so, he became only the third Inter player to score a hat-trick against Torino in Serie A, after Roberto Boninsegna in March 1974 and Edwin Ronald Firmani in December 1958.

Juventus boss Thiago Motta lashed out at those criticising striker Dusan Vlahovic after he scored twice in the Bianconeri's 3-0 win over Genoa on Saturday.

Juve continued their fine start to life under Motta with a routine victory at the Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris, Vlahovic netting twice before Francisco Conceicao added a late third.

They have kept a clean sheet in each of their first six matches of a Serie A season for the very first time, also scoring at least twice in five of their last eight games, having done so only once in their previous eight.

Despite Juve's strong run of form, Vlahovic has attracted criticism from some quarters.

Only Christian Pulisic (six) and Marcus Thuram (five) have bettered his four goals in Serie A this term, though, with the Serbian also helping himself to a brace versus Verona.

Motta heaped praise upon Vlahovic after the win, also hailing his defensive work as he said: "No goals conceded is a team effort. 

"Scoring goals starts well with [goalkeeper Mattia] Perin and not conceding goals starts with Vlahovic.

"We have a group that wants to defend to have the ball and recover it. This is very important, a team must be solid to aspire to something great."

Motta then added: "Honestly, I think you pay too much attention to a single player. He has always been very good. 

"I understand the expectations and needs of a striker at this level. But as I said from the beginning, he is a positive leader who helps a lot.

"I am happy because he scored but I was also happy when he didn't. He must improve and be more connected with the team because he is an important player in many aspects of our game. He is fine and must continue to work as he is doing".

Vlahovic, who has more games with multiple goals than any other player across the last six Serie A seasons (19), said: "The most important thing is that we won and we want to continue like this.

"It's no problem, people talk. If you score you're the best, if you don't you're the worst. It's up to me to respond on the pitch and I will certainly do so.

"Sometimes there are fewer opportunities. People expect me to solve the games and that's normal, I don't run away. I always do everything 100%.

"I'm super calm and I will always give my all on the pitch. For a striker when you don't score it's difficult, but today we won and that's the only thing that matters." 

Dusan Vlahovic scored twice to help Juventus to a 3-0 win at Genoa in Serie A as Thiago Motta's side moved top of the standings.

Vlahovic scored Juventus' first goal in four league games when he converted from the spot after they were awarded a penalty for a handball following half-time.

He added his second in the 55th minute from a tight angle after Teun Koopmeiners found the Serbian striker on the edge of the box with a deep cross-field pass.

Substitute Francisco Conceicao then sealed the win with a low, one-touch finish late on.

The game in Genoa was played behind closed doors after crowd violence during their Coppa Italia fixture against Serie B side Sampdoria left more than 50 people injured.

Juventus, who drew each of their last three league games 0-0, top the table with 12 points from six games, one point ahead of second-placed Torino who host Lazio on Sunday.

Data Debrief: Vlahovic gets Juventus firing

Vlahovic broke the deadlock on Saturday and is now only one of the two players to score at least two braces in Serie A this season, level with Marcus Thuram.

The Serbian was bound to score from the sport having converted 18 of his 22 penalties taken in Serie A, including his last three in 2024.

Fellow goalscorer Conceicao scored 8,252 days after his father, Sergio, last bagged in Serie A on 24 February 2002, meanwhile, for Inter against Udinese.

Manchester City's bid for a second Champions League crown got off to a frustrating start as they were held to a goalless draw by Inter in a repeat of the 2023 final.

Both teams squandered numerous chances in a breathless back-and-forth affair at the Etihad Stadium, with Inter defending resolutely before threatening to hit Pep Guardiola's hosts on the break on numerous occasions.

City's goal machine Erling Haaland was hoping to become the fastest player in history to score 100 goals for a European club, but he saw a header held by Yann Sommer early on before rolling another effort narrowly wide of the post.

Marcus Thuram flashed a first-time shot over the crossbar as Simone Inzaghi's men fired a warning shot of their own, while another Sommer save prevented Phil Foden from capping a delightful City move with a goal.

Inter's clearest opening came in the 53rd minute, but former Manchester United defender Matteo Darmian inexplicably tried to find a team-mate with a backheel when presented with a clear sight of Ederson's goal.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan had City fans breathing a huge sigh of relief when he missed another golden late opportunity, sending a wild effort spinning over the crossbar from 10 yards out.

But the last chances went City's way, Ilkay Gundogan eliciting huge groans from the home fans with two misses from short-range headers in the dying seconds.

Data Debrief: Inter make a statement

City are always favourites on their own turf, but Inter were expected to put up a fight on Wednesday and they did precisely that, marking themselves out as potential challengers for the European crown.

It was just the second time City had failed to find the net in 42 home Champions League matches under Guardiola, with the other being a goalless draw with Sporting CP in 2022.

Alessandro Bastoni, Francesco Acerbi and Yann Bisseck impressed in the heart of defence, limiting Haaland to the fewest touches (14) of any starter on either team.

The Nerazzurri also offered a threat going forward, with their 10 first-half attempts making them the first Champions League visitors to reach double figures at the Etihad since Monaco in February 2017 (also 10). 

A Marcus Thuram double helped Inter to an emphatic 4-0 win over Atalanta on Friday, winning a second-straight home game.

The defending champions, coming off a draw at Genoa and a 2-0 win over Lecce, scored twice in the opening stages of each half to prevail and, provisionally, move top of the standings with seven points.

The hosts opened the scoring just three minutes in when Thuram's low cross deflected off Berat Djimsiti into his own net before Nicolo Barella doubled the lead with a stunning volley from the edge of the box seven minutes later.

They could have had a third just before the half-hour mark too, with Thuram ghosting past Atalanta's defence again, only to see this effort deflected off the woodwork.

Thuram scored twice in similar fashion after the break, taking advantage of loose balls from the visitors' poor defence to fire home from close range in the 47th and 56th minutes.

Atalanta posed little threat and can count themselves lucky not to be on the end of a heavier scoreline as Federico Dimarco's sweeping finish was disallowed for offside late on. 

Data Debrief: Thuram steals spotlight

While Barella arguably scored the pick of the goals with his long-range stunner, Thuram was at the heart and centre of everything Inter did on Friday.

He had the most shots (four) and netted with both of his efforts on targeting, outperforming his 0.49 expected goals.

Thuram is now the fourth Inter player to score at least four goals in his first three appearances in a Serie A season in the three-points-for-a-win era, after Lautaro Martínez (five in 2023-24), Mauro Icardi (five in 2017-18) and Christian Vieri (four in 1999-00 and 2002-03).

Junior Messias scored a last-gasp equaliser as Genoa held Inter to a 2-2 draw, denying the Nerazzurri a winning start to their Scudetto defence at Luigi Ferraris.

Messias struck in the fifth minute of stoppage time to ensure a share of the spoils, slotting home the rebound after Yann Sommer saved his initial penalty.

Genoa took the lead after 20 minutes when Alessandro Vogliacco tapped in after Mattia Bani's strike ricocheted kindly into his path via the crossbar.

Although, Inter were level just 10 minutes later as Marcus Thuram rose to head home Nicolo Barella's lofted cross.

The Nerazzurri's second-half pressure eventually paid dividends eight minutes from time when Thuram completed the turnaround, latching onto Davide Frattesi's throughball and lifting it over the advancing Pierluigi Gollini.

There was to be a late twist in the dying moments of stoppage time, however. Yann Bisseck was penalised for handball following a VAR review and, despite Sommer thwarting Messias, the Brazilian reacted quickest to snatch a point for Il Grifone.

Data Debrief: Inter's winning streak stalls 

Inter were on course to win on matchday one for a sixth successive Serie A season, until Messias had other ideas with one of the final kicks of the game.

It marked only the second time in the last 14 seasons that the Scudetto holders had failed to win their league opener, after Juventus in 2015-16.

The Nerazzurri have now drawn three straight Serie A matches for the first time since doing so under Antonio Conte in January 2020.

French political leader Jordan Bardella criticised Kylian Mbappe for speaking out against the "extremes" in parliamentary elections before their game against Austria at Euro 2024.

Striker Marcus Thuram made his position clear on the party, having urged people to "fight daily" to prevent Bardella's National Rally (RN) from gaining power in France, with a general election set to take place in July.

Mbappe then later used his pre-match press conference to say he supported the same values as Thuram, though he did not call out the RN by name.

"Kylian Mbappe is against extreme views and against ideas that divide people. I want to be proud to represent France, I don't want to represent a country that doesn't correspond to my values or our values," Mbappe said.

He also added that "the extremes are knocking at the doors of power".

Mbappe was immediately criticised for speaking up about the political picture in France, with Bardella left angered by his comments.

"I have a lot of respect for our footballers, whether Marcus Thuram or Kylian Mbappe, who are icons of football and icons for youth," Bardella told CNews TV.

"But we must respect the French, we must respect everyone's vote.

"When you're lucky enough to have a very, very big salary, when you are a multi-millionaire, then I'm a little embarrassed to see these athletes.

"Give lessons to people who can no longer make ends meet, who no longer feel safe, who do not have the chance to live in neighbourhoods overprotected by security agents."

Mbappe, meanwhile, has other concerns, with reports suggesting the superstar will definitely miss France's game against the Netherlands on Friday after he suffered a broken nose in the 1-0 win over Austria.

France are preparing to open their Euro 2024 campaign against Austria on Monday, and Les Bleus cannot wait to welcome back a familiar face in N'Golo Kante.

The former Chelsea man has been hampered by hamstring issues before requiring surgery, while his move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad saw Kante dropped by Didier Deschamps.

Diminutive midfielder Kante had not appeared in international football over the last two years but made his return to Les Bleus' squad for the tournament in Germany.

Calling upon years of trophy-winning experience in the middle, Kante's France team-mates have been impressed with the 33-year-old's efforts in warm-up friendlies against Luxembourg and Canada.

"I had the impression that there were three of him," French forward Marcus Thurman joked at a press conference on Saturday.

"There's no time to play in training any more. As soon as we have him on our team, we win. He has reminded us in a week why he was one of the greatest midfielders in Europe."

Olivier Giroud echoed a similar sentiment when praising the two-time Premier League champion on Friday.

"He has not changed," veteran Giroud said. "He is the same player I have known for years in the national team and at Chelsea. He is everywhere. It's great to have him with us."

The 55-cap international appears set to start when France open their Group D campaign against Austria in Dusseldorf, if Deschamps' high praise last week is anything to go by.

"For those who had doubts about his abilities and the intensity of play, he is still at the same level," said Deschamps after Kante's surprise recall.

"Even though he hasn't been here for a while, he's not out of place."

Champions Inter Milan hammered relegation-battling Frosinone 5-0 in Serie A on Friday, with Simone Inzaghi's side securing their biggest winning margin this season.

Davide Frattesi opened the scoring for Inter in the 19th minute, sending the ball in with his knee from a Marcus Thuram pass, which deflected off one of Frosinone's defenders.

Marko Arnautovic doubled the lead for Inter at the hour mark with a low first-time finish into the middle of the goal and Tajon Buchanan made it 3-0 with his debut Inter goal, before substitute Lautaro Martinez and Thuram sealed the win.

Inter, who on Saturday suffered their second league defeat of the campaign when they were beaten 1-0 by second-from-bottom Sassuolo, also maintained their chances to beat the club record of 97 points set in the 2006-07 season.

Currently on 92 points, they next host Lazio on May 19 before ending the season at lowly Hellas Verona.

Frosinone sit 17th on 32 points with two points separating them from the relegation zone before 18th-placed Udinese travel to Lecce on Monday.

Data Debrief: Goals, goals, goals

Inter scored three goals in the final 15 minutes of the match - the Nerazzurri have now scored 21 goals in that period this season, more than any other team in the league.

With this win, the Nerazzurri have now won 4600 points in Serie A (since 1929-30), becoming only the second team to reach this milestone in the competition's history after Juventus.

A second-half goal from substitute Marko Arnautovic gave Inter Milan a 1-0 lead in their Champions League last-16 first leg contest against Atletico Madrid.

The former Stoke and West Ham forward delighted the majority of the San Siro crowd with his 79th-minute breakthrough on Tuesday evening.

And it proved enough for last season’s runners-up to take an advantage to the Spanish capital for next month’s second leg.

After the visitors had survived penalty appeals for handball by defender Nahuel Molina, Lautaro Martinez had the first chance of a tight first half but fired wide in the 36th minute.

Argentina international Martinez brought a save out of Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak four minutes later, following Nicolo Barella’s cross, then mishit an effort from the edge of the penalty box soon after.

Marcus Thuram, who appeared to get injured in the closing stages of the first half, was replaced by Arnautovic for the second 45 minutes.

There was frustration for the home fans when Arnautovic headed over, before shooting high off target soon after.

Martinez was then denied by Oblak, before Arnautovic got it right at the third attempt with the only goal of the game.

After Atletico substitute Reinildo and Rodrigo de Paul had dallied on the halfway line, Martinez advanced and saw his shot blocked by Oblak. However, it broke for Arnautovic and the Austria international tucked the ball away left-footed from the angle of the six-yard box, squeezing his shot past the goalkeeper and a backtracking Samuel Lino.

Atletico’s best chance of a goal came in the closing stages when Alvaro Morata glanced a header wide of Yann Sommer’s goal.

It proved a fitting outcome for Inter on an emotional night for the home fans, who paid tribute to Andreas Brehme before kick-off.

The former Germany international defender, whose death had been announced earlier in the day, played for the Nerazzurri between 1988 and 1992.

Marcus Thuram inspired a strong second-half fightback as Inter Milan extended their lead at the top of Serie A to seven points with a 4-2 win over Roma at the Stadio Olimpico.

Thuram flicked home from a Matteo Darmian cross four minutes after the break then pressured Roma defender Angelino into turning a ball from the left into his own net six minutes later.

Roma pressed desperately for an equaliser, but Inter made sure of the points deep into stoppage time when defender Alessandro Bastoni finished off a swift counter-attack.

Victory allowed Inter to build on their crucial win over title rivals Juventus last week, while it spelled a first defeat for new Roma head coach Daniele De Rossi after three straight wins.

Seeking another win that would send them up to fourth, Roma started with confidence, and Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer had to tip over a shot from Stephan El Shaarawy inside the opening minute.

Matias Pellegrini also came close from distance, but Inter grew into the game and grabbed the lead in the 18th minute when Federico Dimarco’s corner was headed home by Francesco Acerbi.

But Roma were level within 10 minutes when Gianluca Mancini nodded home from a free-kick, with set-plays proving dangerous for both sides in the slippery conditions.

An end-to-end clash saw chances for Dimarco and Paulo Dybala at both ends before the hosts stunned Inter by grabbing the lead moments before the half-time break.

Pellegrini led a sweeping counter-attack that sent the ball out to El Shaarawy on the left flank and his rising shot clattered against both posts before nestling in the net to put Roma 2-1 up.

Inter responded strongly at the start of the second half and it took them only four minutes to level when Thuram met Darmian’s cross with the neatest of finishes.

Angelino was unfortunate to divert the next past his own keeper after 56 minutes and Inter were intent on pressing home their advantage with Benjamin Pavard striking the post with a fine shot moments later.

Roma’s best chance to give an engrossing game one final twist came in the 71st minute when former Inter man Romelu Lukaku was played clean through, but had the ball picked off his feet by the alert Sommer.

It sparked a grandstand finish from the home side with Sommer having to be on his toes again to tip away an effort from Leonardo Spinazzola with six minutes left on the clock.

But Roma’s increasing desperation left holes at the back and the visitors confirmed victory after a thrilling game through the unlikely figure of Bastoni.

Marcus Thuram struck a late winner as Inter Milan returned to the top of Serie A with a 1-0 victory over Roma at San Siro.

The hosts completely dominated the first half but failed to score when chances from Thuram, Hakan Calhanoglu and Benjamin Pavard went begging.

The only team with the intention of winning the game were Inter and it started to look like it was not their day until Thuram turned home with 10 minutes remaining to condemn Jose Mourinho to defeat against his former employers.

Inter’s intent to attack Roma was clear from the outset and they almost had the opener six minutes in when Calhanoglu’s rifled effort from 20 yards bounced off the crossbar.

Denzel Dumfries’ cross found Thuram inside the area and after seeing his initial header blocked, his second stabbed effort was saved magnificently by the legs of Rui Patricio.

It was wave after wave of Inter attacks as Roma continued to sit back and defend, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan next to go close when his effort from 12 yards flew wide of the target before volleying over from outside the area a couple of minutes later.

Half an hour into the contest, defender Pavard found himself with space inside the area but shot well wide of the target.

The second half started with the same pattern as the first with Inter on the front foot and Thuram headed over from Calhanoglu’s free-kick.

After an hour, Roma had failed to register a single shot but Inter had their second on target after Thuram chested a cross into Lautaro Martinez, with his resulting effort deflected softly into the hands of Patricio.

Roma, who had former Inter striker Romelu Lukaku up front, had a chance to hit the target in the 65th minute as Stephan El Shaarawy was brought down by Alessandro Bastoni on the edge of the box, but Leandro Paredes sent the resulting free-kick straight into the wall.

The away side finally started to create a few opportunities and came close to an opener of their own when Bryan Cristante powered a header towards goal but Yann Sommer was alert to keep the score 0-0.

The game became a little stretched for the first time and Inter went down the other end and could have scored but Calhanoglu’s shot was deflected wide.

Back came Inter as they looked to crank up the pressure, but Federico Dimarco’s cross into the six-yard box could not be turned home by Thuram.

The decisive moment of the game came 80 minutes in when Thuram pounced on Dimarco’s cross and turned in to finally give the hosts a deserved lead.

Carlos Augusto almost added a stunning second, unleashing a 30-yard effort which struck the crossbar.

Aurelien Tchouameni and Marcus Thuram left the Republic of Ireland’s Euro 2024 dream hanging by a thread as France maintained their perfect start to qualification with a regulation 2-0 win in Paris.

The pair struck either side of half-time at the Parc des Princes to claim a fifth successive Group B victory and leave Ireland with just three points from their first four games, a statistic which means Sunday’s clash with the Netherlands in Dublin could all but decide their fate.

Stephen Kenny’s men were organised and dogged, but with Ousmane Dembele tormenting Enda Stevens to such an extent that he was replaced at half-time and Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann delighting a passionate home crowd, were unable to cause the hosts enough problems with the notable exception of a Chiedozie Ogbene header which prompted a fine save from Mike Maignan.

Much had been made in France ahead of the game of Ireland keeper Gavin Bazunu’s propensity to concede from distance, but there was little he could have done to keep out Tchouameni’s sweetly-struck 19th-minute shot, and he was left exposed as substitute Thuram extended the lead after 48 minutes.

While the outcome in Paris was never likely to define their campaign, June’s defeat in Greece left Ireland up against it and a repeat against the Dutch would effectively extinguish all hope.

France set off in determined fashion, Adrien Rabiot thumping a shot into Bazunu’s midriff from Dembele’s pull-back before John Egan had to make a vital block to keep out Olivier Giroud’s strike after Theo Hernandez had out-stripped the cover down the Irish right.

Mbappe might have done better from the resulting corner, scooping a tame attempt over the top after Adam Idah had taken Griezmann’s corner out of Bazunu’s reach, and the Ireland keeper was relieved to see the Atletico Madrid star’s swinging 15th-minute free-kick smuggled away after it reared up at him off the turf having sailed through a crowded penalty area.

However, he was beaten four minutes later when, after Griezmann had headed down for Dembele, his cross was headed away by Nathan Collins only for Mbappe to recycle the loose ball to Tchouameni, who curled a delicious shot across the Southampton keeper and inside the far post from 25 yards.

Giroud departed injured after going to ground under Egan’s 24th-minute challenge and was replaced by Thuram and with Mbappe dropping deep to pick up possession, the visitors found themselves under almost constant pressure, with Ogbene’s occasional, but largely unsupported, forays down the right their only meaningful outlet.

Bazunu fielded a speculative effort from Mbappe comfortably, but was relieved to see an offside flag come to his rescue after the Paris St Germain star had stabbed a 42nd-minute shot between his legs.

Stevens departed at the break to be replaced by James McClean, but his side fell further behind within three minutes of the restart when, after Mbappe had failed to make the most of a Theo Hernandez cross, Thuram span on the lose ball to rifle into the roof of the net.

With little left to lose, the Republic threw caution to the wind and might have reduced the deficit from Ogbene’s header but for Maignan’s brilliance after Idah had beaten the offside trap, and the Luton striker curled a left-foot shot inches over seconds later as the anxious keeper could only look on.

Ireland’s new-found sense of adventure left them vulnerable at the back and Mbappe’s blushes were spared by a late offside flag after he had missed the target in a one-on-one battle with Bazunu, who then did well to parry another Tchouameni piledriver 23 minutes from time.

Dembele rattled the upright from a tight angle with France in cruise control, and only stout defence, a series of less than effective final balls and a bad miss by Thuram spared the visitors further damage.

Harry Kane's future at Tottenham is uncertain, with his contract due to expire in 2024.

As a result, speculation is developing about a move for the England international striker during the next transfer window.

Manchester United are known to be interested in the 29-year-old, while Bayern Munich were previously linked too.

TOP STORY – PSG TO CONTEND WITH UTD FOR KANE SIGNATURE

Paris Saint-Germain will battle it out with Manchester United to land Tottenham forward Harry Kane, reports Le Parisien.

PSG sporting director Luis Campos wants to bolster the side's attack and has identified Kane as their top target.

The French champions' president Nasser Al Khelaifi has a good relationship with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, which may help negotiations.

ROUND-UP

- Lionel Messi has decided to remain in Europe for another two seasons, amid speculation about a move to Saudi Arabia or MLS, namely Inter Miami, claims SPORT. Messi has been linked with former club Barcelona, having yet to re-sign with Paris Saint-Germain.

- Fichajes reports Barcelona are circling to make a move for Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold in the upcoming transfer window. Barca are hoping to sign him on a reduced fee, with the Reds to miss out on Champions League football next term.

- Liverpool will commence talks with Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Alexis Mac Allister's camp soon, according to Fabrizio Romano, who said an off-season exit is a certainty.

- Newcastle United, West Ham United and Tottenham are all circling for James Ward-Prowse who has been told he can leave Southampton if they get relegated, claims Daily Mail.

- Inter have turned their attention to signing Borussia Monchengladbach's Marcus Thuram or Liverpool's Roberto Firmino, rather than making Romelu Lukaku's loan spell from Chelsea permanent, claims Gazzetta dello Sport.

- Fabrizio Romano reports Borussia Dortmund have agreed personal terms with Borussia Monchengladbach defender Ramy Bensebaini to join as a free agent in the off-season.

Marcus Thuram will leave Borussia Monchengladbach as a free agent at the end of the season after the Bundesliga club finally gave up hope of keeping the France forward.

The 25-year-old is enjoying his most fruitful goalscoring campaign and has been linked with clubs including Inter, Chelsea and Newcastle United.

In 28 games, he has managed 16 goals and five assists, already beating his haul of 14 goals from the 2019-20 campaign.

Thuram, who can play as a striker and as a left winger, is the son of former France defender Lilian Thuram.

Gladbach sporting director Roland Virkus said it was with regret that the club would part company with former Guingamp after four years together.

Algerian defender Ramy Bensebaini will also leave on a free transfer, and it has been reported he will join Borussia Dortmund.

Virkus said: "We were in an open discussion with both players and knew their current position. It is a shame that they won't extend their current contracts, which expire in the summer, and we also understand that our fans are disappointed that both aren't staying.

"In the past years, it has always been part of our approach to pick up talented players, develop them further, and at a certain point in time also allow them to leave, because we can't keep them forever.

"In an ideal world, we would have picked up an attractive transfer fee. It is obviously not good that now this is not the case."

In an interview on Gladbach's official website, Virkus described Thuram and Bensebaini as "players that can make the difference".

"Both have helped us from a sporting side in the past few years and are still doing that now," he added, "so despite all our justified disappointment, they have still earned a stylish goodbye."

The news of the twin departures followed Wednesday's announcement that captain Lars Stindl would also be leaving Gladbach after an eight-year stint.

Virkus said: "We were also in an open and fair discussion with Lars. He explained his personal decision in terms of the responsibility he has to his family.

"In the end, that also speaks to Lars Stindl as a person. He has helped shaped the club over eight years, was the face of Borussia, a goal threat, a hard-worker for the team and a brilliant captain. He is now 34 years old though, and your priorities change, he is going back home and you have to respect that."