Former Premier League manager is told ‘f*** you' by his own player before he shushes him in furious Club World Cup row
EX-PREM boss Bruno Lage has been embroiled in an astonishing touchline spat with his OWN player.
The Benfica boss watched his side see off Auckland City 6-0 in the Club World Cup on Friday night.
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Benfica struggled to break down the Kiwi minnows, taking almost an hour to find the opener.
Lage decided to shuffle his pack in the Orlando heat, replacing Orkun Kokcu with ex-Swansea City midfielder Renato Sanches.
But Kokcu was furious at being subbed, refusing to shake Lage's hand as he skulked from the field.
Portuguese outlet A Bola claims Kokcu turned and shouted "f*** you" at his manager before taking his place on the bench.
A furious Lage confronted Kokcu and was seen shushing him by placing a finger on his lips.
And after Sanches netted Benfica's third, the boss headed back to the bench to carry on the feud.
Kerem Akturkoglu was seen holding Kokcu back, preventing the incident from escalating as Lage again shushed his own player.
Lage claimed after the match that Kokcu was guilty of only wanting to "win and score goals".
He said: "We decided that Renato should come on.
"Regardless of the players' form, I make the decisions.
Bayern Munich beat Boca Juniors 2-1 at the Club World Cup
"In the last game, we started with Renato, and Kokcu came on later and helped us.
"That's how it was today, too. I saw the behaviour of a consistently professional athlete. That was a unique experience.
"He has always behaved very well both on and off the field. He has the desire to help the team.
"I make the decisions I have to make, no matter who it is. I've proven that many times.
"I look at the player's current situation and make my decisions calmly."
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Lage, 49, took charge of Wolves in the Premier League between June 2021 and October 2022.
He won just 19 of 51 games at Molineux, but was hampered by an injury crisis to his strikers.
Julen Lopetegui replaced Lage in the Midlands, with the Portuguese taking charge of Botofago in Brazil before joining Benfica for a second stint last summer.
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