Arsenal FC

• Nickname:
• Founded:1886
• Manager:Arsene Wenger

• Ground:
• Capacity:NaN

Almunia blasts bitter Jens

12 Apr 2008 - 11:17:04

Click To Enlarge

Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia has spoken of his amazement that Gunners colleague Jens Lehmann continues to berate him in the press.

Germany international Lehmann has become a bitter man since losing his first-team spot to Almunia, telling Kicker earlier this week: "I don't find it very funny being forced to sit on the bench for a man who didn't start playing until he was 30."

That has prompted Spaniard Almunia to hit back and admit that he no longer talks to Lehmann during training.

He told The Guardian: "I'm an easy-going person. I like to treat everyone with respect and I see everyone as equals. I treat people the way I would like to be treated myself.

"To have someone here who hates me is just amazing. I know he hates me.

"Every morning I wake up I know it is going to be the same. I've had to put up with it every day since he was out of the team and even before then.

"But I don't care about him any more. He can say what he likes. It's his problem, not mine and I don't see why I should try to talk to him about it.

"The truth is I don't want to talk to him. If he was someone important to me, I would try to talk to him and see what the problem is. But he's not, so we don't talk.

"I've never been in a situation like this before in my career. Normally we goalkeepers have so much respect for each other.

"Why he doesn't respect me, I don't know. But I don't want any relationship with him. It's not important to me what he says or what he thinks."