Barcelona striker Luis Suarez has said former teammate Neymar would "always be welcome" back at the club.
Brazilian forward Neymar was part of Barca's fearsome 'MSN' front three alongside Suarez and Lionel Messi for three years before completing a sensational and record-breaking €222 million (Dh888m) move to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.
During the trio's first season together, in 2014/15, Barcelona won the Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey treble, before claiming the domestic double the following season.
Since leaving for PSG, Neymar has been consistently linked with a return to the Spanish champions, and Suarez has welcomed the idea of the Brazil international once again turning out for Barca.
"Everybody knows 'Ney', we all know the affection we have for him in the dressing room," Suarez, 33, told Mundo Deportivo.
"His ability is indisputable and he still has so much to show. He will always be welcome in the changing room, we appreciate him a lot."
Suarez, who is recovering from right knee surgery, said it was "complicated" to talk about players joining Barca at this time of crisis with the coronavirus pandemic.
"I can talk about players, and these are huge players," he said when asked to discuss the rumours linking Neymar with a Barca return.
The Uruguayan also had warm words for Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez, the 22-year-old Argentine whose name has also been associated with a move to Catalonia.
"Lautaro is a player who is progressing in Italy, he is a flexible centre-forward, with spectacular moves and that shows what a great striker he is."
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Questioned about how any eventual new signings would fit in Suarez said: "There will always be a healthy rivalry between us, and while we are all focused on the same objective, that is winning, any players who come in to help the team achieve its aims will always be welcome."
Suarez also offered his thoughts on the deal with the club that led the players to accept a 70 per cent wage cut. Messi publicly criticised Barca for their handling of the process and accused the club of applying pressure on players even after the squad had agreed to give up a part of their salaries to help non-playing staff.
"There were some things that were said that were false, like that the players didn't want to see their salaries reduced, that some were against it," Suarez said. "The [club management] were saying that without being part of the squad was annoying. It annoyed all the players."
Suarez said all the players were united from the start in wanting to help the club as much as possible.
"The deal was delayed because it's not easy to revoke the salary of 22-23 players," he said. "It was worked out between the club and the players' lawyers, but it wasn't easy to do."
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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Married Malala
Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.
The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.
Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
