Football
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Philadelphia Union's Rais M'Bolhi denies rift with teammates

Rais M'Bolhi has said he has no problem with his Philadelphia Union teammates, telling footmercato.net: "I get on well with everyone," despite being frozen out of the first team.

M'Bolhi, 29, only joined the MLS franchise last summer following impressive displays for Algeria at the World Cup.

However, after playing just nine matches for the Union, M'Bolhi has been told by head coach Jim Curtin he will never feature for them again, and will be transferred in July. Until then, M'Bolhi has been told he can train, but at a different time to the rest of the squad.

Curtin claimed that the former CSKA Sofia goalkeeper's "performances on the pitch and some exchanges in the dressing room with the rest of the squad" had led to him telling M'Bolhi he could return to France for a month's holiday before subsequently excluding the Algeria international from his plans.

"I have no problem with the squad, you ask everyone in the dressing room. I've never had a problem with anyone, I get on well with everybody," M'Bolhi countered. "I came back from France last Monday after a month with my family, because the coach thought it was better for the team and for me. I trained on Tuesday, before Saturday's game. I was asked to play that game, except that I didn't see myself playing a match after I had only just come back following a month with my family and not having trained. I didn't feel ready physically to play a game. From that, a lot of things have been said in the press, but all I can say until proof to the contrary is that I'm under contract with the Philadelphia Union and I want to get myself back into shape to be available for the club, as simple as that."

The Paris-born M'Bolhi, who started his career in the French capital before joining Marseille's youth academy, has already played in Scotland, Greece, Japan, Bulgaria, Russia and France.

However, he is not quite ready to move on just yet.

"Regarding transfers, you have to look at everything, but for the moment, I'm under contract with the club and I'm here. I'm under contract here, so I am staying and I am entirely at the club's disposition. The day when I am no longer under contract, OK, no problem, but for the moment I'm under contract so I do what the club tells me to."

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