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Bayern Munich Sporting Director Insists Franck Ribery Will Not Leave

The club has been playing down reports that Ribery skipped training yesterday...

Jul 4, 2009 3:58:58 PM

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Bayern Munich sporting director Christian Nerlinger has stated that Franck Ribery is not for sale and that limits have to be set that cannot be changed.

The French star has been rumoured to be leaving the Allianz Arena this summer, with Real Madrid believed to be the most likely destination.

However, in an interview with TZ, Nerlinger assured fans that Ribery is a fundamental part of their team and they do not plan on letting him go.

"A player must have set boundaries that cannot be moved, and there are things that cannot be said in public," he mused.

"We are forming a team that, in the medium term, can compete with Barcelona and Franck is a fundamental part of that. When he returns, he will be more relaxed and focus on football."

With regards to the situation in the last few days, Nerlinger believes that the environment Ribery has been in has not helped the player.

"Franck has to think about whether the idea to try and cause situations fits in with his own principles," he said.

One such situation came from reports yesterday that Ribery had missed training, but Nerlinger insisted he was merely injured.

"Franck has problems with his Achilles heel. That is not an invention nor is it a pretext to anything," he explained.

Finally, the sporting director stated that Bayern will create a code of conduct for the players, to prevent statements like Ribery's to L'Equipe coming out.

"Louis Van Gaal is authoratarian and I am going to support him unconditionally," he concluded.

James Walker-Roberts, Goal.com

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