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Fenerbahçe Football Director Oğuz Çetin said there is no problem between player Marco Asensio and head coach İsmail Kartal, and that Asensio will undergo surgery.

Speaking on FB TV alongside club doctor Ahmet Kulduk, Çetin dismissed speculation about a rift as untrue and gave a detailed account of the forward's injury and treatment. Kulduk said a cartilage lesion behind the kneecap was found on an MRI scan and requires surgical repair.

Club rejects claims of a rift with Kartal

Çetin said President Aziz Yıldırım and the club's board are working around the clock to meet supporters' expectations, and that the coaching staff and squad are bound together by strong team spirit and commitment. "I experience this myself every day," he said.

He said the president's insistence that he does not want to experience another "Alex incident" has been handled with great care since day one by İsmail Kartal, the players and the club's staff, adding that a full family atmosphere has been created. According to Çetin, people inside and outside the club repeatedly try to stir unrest and disrupt the team's harmony. "There is an attempt to portray a major problem between İsmail Kartal and Asensio. This absolutely does not reflect reality," he said.

Çetin urged supporters to stay grounded, warning that speculation built around Asensio would later target other players. "Our fans should be conscious and believe the information that comes from us," he said, before pledging that the club would win the league title in May 2027, ending a 12-year wait during its 120th year.

A run of injuries and assessments

Çetin said Asensio entered treatment and rehabilitation after picking up a thigh strain in the Konyaspor match. The player then started and played 83 minutes in a friendly in Azerbaijan, after which swelling appeared in the knee. Club doctor Ahmet Kulduk treated the problem in the build-up to the Çaykur Rizespor fixture and Asensio played, delivering a strong performance.

Treatment resumed once the player came off and continued after the Rizespor game, followed by two days of rehabilitation ahead of the Aston Villa match. Swelling during a training session a day before the game raised doubts, but the squad still travelled to England. MRIs were taken there on Asensio and on Kante, who had minor complaints, and it was decided that Asensio would not play against Aston Villa.

Cartilage lesion leads to surgery decision

Kulduk said the swelling and pain were initially managed with rehabilitation before an MRI was ordered. "As a result, we detected a cartilage lesion behind the kneecap," he said. "In our assessment, this lesion needed to be corrected surgically. We sought different opinions and they agreed. The player held the same view, so we planned the operation. We will perform the surgery next week."

The doctor stressed that the knee injury and cruciate ligament strain suffered in the Beşiktaş match last season, as well as the muscle injuries this season, were not the type that require surgery and no surgical decision was made at the time. "This decision was taken only after the cartilage lesion appeared," Kulduk said.

Key takeaways

• Oğuz Çetin rejected reports of a conflict between Marco Asensio and head coach İsmail Kartal.
• Asensio played 83 minutes in a friendly in Azerbaijan and then featured against Çaykur Rizespor despite knee swelling.
• MRIs in England led to Asensio being left out of the Aston Villa match.
• Doctor Ahmet Kulduk said a cartilage lesion behind the kneecap was found and surgery is planned for next week.