The Spanish Marco Asensio, the Turkish striker from Fenerbahce, denied the need for surgery, after many news circulated about this happening soon.
There was speculation that Asensio suffered a severe knee injury and would soon undergo surgery, while Fenerbahce will play one of its most important matches of the season in the Turkish league against Besiktas on Saturday, and then open its Champions League campaign against Roma in Italy next Thursday.
The Spanish newspaper "Marca" reported that Asensio denied those widely circulated reports, stressing that he was not scheduled to undergo any surgery.
Asensio explained that he does not usually respond to this type of news, but he chose to respond now, convinced of the necessity of responding in order to reassure the fans of the Turkish team.
The newspaper added that Asensio chose to delight his club's fans with new news about his recovery, and said that he would soon return to the team, but he had not yet determined the date of his return or the extent of his readiness for the derby, on Saturday.
Fenerbahce occupies fourth place in the Turkish league standings with six points, on goal difference behind third-placed Besiktas, and by a point behind leaders Galatasaray and runner-up Gencelerbirgi.
American striker Folarin Balogun has left Monaco's squad for the European Conference League, amid uncertainty about his continuation with the team after his failed transfer to Everton in England this week.
Balogun will also miss Monaco's match against Paris Saint-Germain in the French League, on Friday, after being excluded from the team's roster traveling to the French capital.
Monaco said that the player returned to team training.
Balogun has not participated in any of the team's four matches so far this season.
The American striker was close to moving to Everton for 40 million pounds ($54 million) last Tuesday, the last day of the summer transfer market in most European leagues, but the deal failed due to his discomfort with the English club’s doubts about his physical condition after he failed the medical examination, according to Thiago Socro, Monaco’s sporting director.
Monaco's campaign in the European Conference League will begin on October 15, and Balogun's name did not appear in the list published by the European Football Association (UEFA) on Thursday.
The International Tennis Integrity Agency said that Australian Nick Kyrgios had accepted and served a reduced one-month ban under anti-doping rules, after traces of cocaine were found in a test sample he underwent at an ATP tournament, which was held in Mallorca, Spain, in June.
The agency explained in a statement that Kyrgios, who had been temporarily suspended since August 4, had enrolled in a treatment program approved by it to reduce the automatic three-month suspension penalty under the rules of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
The statement added that Kyrgios (31 years old) explained during an interview with investigators of the International Tennis Integrity Agency that his use of cocaine “occurred in a social context” during a night he spent outside the house before his match in Mallorca.
The agency consulted an independent scientific expert at a WADA-accredited laboratory, who stated that the explanation was consistent with the level of cocaine found in his sample.
The statement added: “As a result, the International Tennis Integrity Agency has accepted that Kyrgios’ use of cocaine was outside the scope of competition.”
The agency said Kyrgios' suspension will end on Thursday, provided he completes the program.
The prize money and classification points obtained from the Mallorca Championship will be confiscated.
The use of cocaine during competitions is prohibited and its use results in a temporary suspension.
Kyrgios apologized last month on social media for failing the doping test, saying he had made a “huge mistake” and took full responsibility for it.
