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    Medics rush to help and cover Nice star Sofiane Diop after terrifying injury in Europa League clash with Ferencvaros

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    NICE fans were stunned to see Sofiane Diop play on in their clash with Ferencvaros – after an injury so severe he was covered with a SCREEN. The 24-year-old midfielder was shielded from view as medical staff rushed onto the field during Thursday’s Europa League clash in Hungary. A screen was put up around Sofiane Diop after a clash of heads against FerencvarosCredit: GettyFans were stunned to see the Nice star play on after colliding with a teammateCredit: AFPDiop went down after clashing heads with a teammate midway through the first half at the Groupama Arena. Medical staff ran onto the field as the former Monaco star hit the turf, with Ferencvaros defenders urging them to hurry. Diop remained down on the ground for several minutes, with stewards holding a makeshift medical tent made out of Ferencvaros flags. Luckily for Diop, he appeared to escape serious injury after walking away under his own steam.READ MORE ON FOOTBALLDiop was strapped up by the medical team with a bandage, with blood seemingly visible on the back of his head. And fans were stunned to see him return to the game just moments after the collision. One wrote on X: “It’s not serious to keep Sofiane Diop in this match! He needs to get stitched up and go out.”Another said: “I hope that is nothing serious for Sofiane Diop.”Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSTrailing 1-0 after an own goal from Moise Bombito, Nice eventually subbed Diop out of the contest at half-time, around 20 minutes after the incident. He was replaced by former Birmingham City midfielder Jeremie Boga.Roberto Mancini brutally sacked from job as highest-paid manager in the world just days after clashing with fansA former French international youth star, Diop has opted to play for Morocco at international level.He began his career with Rennes before joining Monaco in July 2018. New Europa League format explainedTHE Europa League has been given a revamp this season, with a whole new group-stage format.All 36 teams are in one big league.Each team will play eight matches in the opening phase – against seeded opposition, in a system designed to ensure that teams play opponents of similar difficulty.At the end of the league phase, the top eight teams in the “final” table will automatically go through to the last 16, where they will be joined by the eight play-off winners of ties between the sides placed ninth to 24th in the table.The bottom 12 teams are eliminated from Europe entirely.Despite there being just eight matches in the opening phase, European matches will be spread over 10 midweek slots.The knockout phase of the tournament remains the same as previous years.The Tours native spent four years in Monte Carlo, including a successful season on loan at Sochaux.Diop linked up with Nice in August 2022, with the £18.3m midfielder currently enjoying a breakout season. More

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      Kasper Schmeichel’s former Nice boss opens up on terminating his contract before shock Anderlecht transfer

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      FORMER Nice goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel’s ex-boss Florent Ghisolfi has opened up on terminating his contract on deadline day.The 36-year-old managed to sign for Belgian side RSC Anderlecht right before the transfer window closed.
      Kasper Schmeichel signed for Anderlecht on deadline dayCredit: Getty
      The Leicester legend was left unemployed after he and Nice agreed to rip up his contract with hours remaining of the transfer window.
      And it did not take him long to find a new club as Anderlecht have signed Schmeichel on a one-year contract that will see him at the club until June 2024.
      Schmeichel had been left out of the matchday squad for Nice in every game so far this season and it was clear his future no longer lay with The Eaglets.
      The Danish shot-stopper joined the Ligue 1 side last season and made 36 appearances, keeping clean sheets in 11 of them.
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      Nice’s sporting director Ghisolfi has revealed to Nice Matin why the shot-stopper left the French giants.
      He said: “He looked for a club for a long time. But the idea of terminating the contract had not crossed mind.
      “Things accelerated the evening before the end of the transfer window.
      “We decided to release him so that he could remain a free player on the market and commit elsewhere.
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      “It happened in the last moments because this outcome was not possible for him at the start of the window.”
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      Schmeichel has taken a huge pay cut with his new club Anderlecht – 26 times less than what he earned during his Leicester days.
      Schmeichel said: “Anderlecht is just a massive club and former teammates from different places have always talked so highly and warmly of this place.
      “It was something that I really wanted to become part of.
      “After speaking with chief executive Jesper Fredberg and manager Brian Riemer, I was very excited about the project that they’re putting in place.”
      Fredberg was excited to bring in the 479-cap Leicester star to the Belgian Pro League.
      He said: “Although we are happy with the current squad, this was an exceptional opportunity to bring in a goalkeeper with so much experience and know-how.
      “The signing of Kasper Schmeichel fits our desire to have top competition in all positions.
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      “Kasper can be of enormous value to this club with his experience, on and off the pitch.” More

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      Inside Kasper Schmeichel’s shocking season in Nice from surprise Leicester exit to brutal tweet and booed by own fans

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      NICE’S blunt 29-word statement on deadline day concluded a shocking year for Kasper Schmeichel.The goalkeeper, 36, was brutally axed by the Ligue 1 side as they ripped up his contract just 12 months after he arrived in France.
      Kasper Schmeichel saw his Nice contract ripped up on deadline dayCredit: Reuters
      He lifted the FA Cup with Leicester in May 2021Credit: AFP
      And that came after he was controversially let go after 11 years with Leicester City.
      The Dane cemented himself as a club legend at the King Power.
      He made a whopping 479 appearances for the Foxes, famously winning the Premier League in 2015-16 and 2021 FA Cup, taking on the armband and even ‘scoring’ a last-gasp header that eventually got credited to Chris Wood.
      But many eyebrows were raised when he was left out of a 5-1 win at Watford in May 2022, then missed Leicester’s pre-season training camp and eventually was allowed to leave with a year left on his contract.
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      Part of that came down to a business decision – Schmeichel earned a reported £130,000 per week, second only to Jamie Vardy on Fosse Way.
      But SunSport understands the goalkeeper was not universally popular within the Seagrave training ground and it felt the right time to move him on, receiving just £1m from Nice.
      Upon his emotional exit, Schmeichel said: “I came to Leicester as a young man who was in need of a home. I needed a bit of love, I’d been around a lot of clubs and I needed somewhere I could call home.
      “It’s been more than just a club to me, it’s been a place where I’ve made lifelong friends and memories – it has been my home. Thank you for your unwavering support – you are what makes this club so special.
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      “This isn’t a goodbye, this is farewell, see you soon. I’m sure we’ll see each other soon. But again, thank you so much for everything you’ve done.”
      Not only had Brendan Rodgers lost one of the top goalkeepers in the Premier League but he also lost a key experienced head in a dressing room significantly lacking leadership.
      Danny Ward took the No1 spot between the sticks while injury-prone Jonny Evans inherited the armband in a dismal season that ended in relegation for the Foxes.
      But for Schmeichel, the grass was not necessarily any greener on the other side of the Channel.
      He got off to a nightmare start when he allegedly turned up at Nice overweight.
      To make matters worse, he was said to have wound up his new team-mates by breaking club rules – including arriving late for team meetings and undermining manager Lucien Favre.
      Schmeichel then got overlooked for the opening game and dropped again in September.
      And although he did play 36 Ligue 1 games, he found himself on the bench for three Europa Conference League fixtures.
      Schmeichel played every minute of the 5,000-1 Premier League-winning seasonCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      The goalkeeper’s snub for a 5-1 win at Watford was the beginning of the end of his 11 years at LeicesterCredit: Getty
      Then by October, his lack of popularity was demonstrated by his own fans booing him and there were already reports he could be let go by Nice due to his “poor attitude” when the transfer market reopened in January.
      The 93-cap Denmark international stayed put but failed to win over Nice’s board, management or supporters.
      And throughout the summer window, his name continued to be linked with a transfer exit, despite two years still to run on his deal.
      Giants Chelsea and Bayern Munich were both tipped to make moves while Nottingham Forest considered a shock swoop.
      But they all opted to go for different options and Schmeichel was left in limbo with seemingly no club wanting him.
      New Nice boss Francesco Farioli decided he wanted ex-Chelsea and PSG goalkeeper Marin Bulka as his first-choice stopper at the Allianz Riviera.
      And with Schmeichel surplus to requirements, he had his deal terminated.
      The club said bluntly: “OGC Nice and @kschmeichel1 have decided by mutual consent to terminate the contract of the Danish international. The club wishes him every success for the rest of his career.”
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      A shock reunion with Rodgers at Celtic has been rumoured for the legendary goalkeeper, despite the surprising exit under the Northern Irishman from Leicester.
      But should that fail to materialise, Schmeichel’s career is at serious risk of fizzling out to a sad end as an unwanted free agent who turns 37 in November and question marks over his character, mentality and physicality, just two years on from arguably his greatest day leading his team to glory under the Wembley arch.
      Schmeichel is the son of Manchester United icon PeterCredit: Action Images – Reuters
      The stopper could be reunited with Brendan Rodgers at CelticCredit: AP
      Schmeichel had a ‘goal’ given to Chris Wood despite his header appearing to cross the lineCredit: PA:Press Association More