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• Guardiola believes De Bruyne will be difficult to replace at Man City

  Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola knows it will be difficult to find a replacement for midfielder Kevin de Bruyne, should the Belgian depart next year.

  The playmaker joined City in 2015 and has played a key role in their trophy-laden spell since then, but he will be out of contract at the end of the season. 

  De Bruyne's season has been hampered by injury, but the 33-year-old started his first Premier League game since August as City returned to winning ways after seven winless games against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday. 

  And Guardiola could not stress enough the impact De Bruyne has had on the club.   

  "I'm not involved in it," the City boss said, when quizzed about contract negotiations with De Bruyne. 

  "I would like to have him 23 years old and sign a contract for 10 years, this is what I'd like, we'll see."

  De Bryune signed for City a year before Guardiola's arrival and has won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and five EFL Cups while also helping them to their first-ever Champions League triumph during the 2022-23 season. 

  "There are players for whom the impact on the legacy of this club will be eternal, will be forever," said Guardiola. 

  "Of course, it is not easy to replace [them], but as a club, we have to find in the moment, if it's going to happen, we have to find the best way."

  Before the game against Forest, Guardiola had to brush aside suggestions of a rift between himself and De Bruyne.

  "People say I've got a problem with Kevin. Do you think I like to not play with Kevin? No, I don't want Kevin to play?" he said. 

  "The guy who has the most talent in the final third, I don't want it? I have a personal problem with him after nine years together?

  "He's delivered to me the biggest success to this club, but he's been five months injured [last season] and two months injured [this season].

  "He's 33 years old. He needs time to find his best, like last season, step by step. He'll try to do it and feel better. I'm desperate to have his best."

• Atkinson and Bethell star as England dominate day two against New Zealand

  Gus Atkinson's hat-trick set England on their way to a dominant second day of the second Test with New Zealand in Wellington.

  Atkinson took the final three wickets of Nathan Smith, Matt Henry and Tim Southee as the hosts were bowled out for 125, before the tourists' knock of 378-5 put them 533 runs to the good.

  The 26-year-old scored the first away hat-trick by an England bowler in 16 years, while it was also the first ever to be recorded at the Basin Reserve.

  "The hat-trick ball I was running up thinking: 'I'm getting a wicket this ball, I'm getting a wicket this ball' - I did feel it," he told BBC Sport.

  "I haven't really thought about a hat-trick too much before. You want to play to get five-fors as a bowler, you don't think about hat-tricks as much, but getting a hat-trick is special, it's definitely more rare than a five-for.

  "It's been a very special year. I'm just looking forward to playing as much Test cricket as I can in the next few years and, hopefully, continuing with the form."

  Atkinson's surge left New Zealand 155 runs adrift of England, whose second innings was spearheaded by Jacob Bethell and Ben Duckett (92).

  Between them, they added 187 for the second wicket, with Bethell (96) narrowly missing out on becoming the tourists' youngest Test centurion since 1939.

  Harry Brook chipped in with 55, while Joe Root and Ben Stokes notched unbeaten contributions of 73 and 35 respectively.

  That took England to 378-5 at stumps, as they closed in on their first Test series victory in New Zealand for 16 years.

  Data Debrief: Hat-trick hero Atkinson joins exclusive group

  Atkinson continued his incredible 2024, in which he took 12 wickets on his Test debut against West Indies in July, while notching up a century and five-wicket haul against Sri Lanka the following month.

  The first hat-trick in Test cricket since South Africa spinner Keshav Maharaj's against West Indies in 2021, it is the 14th recorded by an Englishman.

  Atkinson also joined Stuart Broad, Moeen Ali and Johnny Briggs as the only England players to score a Test century and hat-trick.

  England became the first nation to score 500,000 Test runs during day two, while Root passed 50 for the 100th time at this level.

• 'Milan shown lack of respect' - Fonseca bemoans refereeing in Atalanta loss

  Paulo Fonseca thinks referee Federico La Penna showed AC Milan "a lack of respect" during their 2-1 defeat by Atalanta.

  Ademola Lookman's late strike settled the contest at Gewiss Stadium, where Alvaro Morata cancelled out Charles De Ketelaere's earlier effort.

  While Atalanta climbed to the Serie A summit following a ninth straight win, Milan saw their seven-game unbeaten streak across all competitions come to an end.

  However, Fonseca suggested his side were on the wrong end of questionable officiating, including for the hosts' first goal, where he felt De Ketelaere pushed Theo Hernandez while climbing to head home.

  "I am not afraid to speak the truth," he told Sky Sport Italia. "I have always respected the work of the referees. I realise they have a difficult job, but every week, it is always the same.

  "The way the referee officiated throughout this evening was a lack of respect for Milan.

  "The first goal, [there] was a clear foul, there is absolutely no doubt. The way the referee officiated throughout was against Milan, there is no doubt."

  Although, Fonseca acknowledged poor defending from set-pieces proved costly for his side.

  "At the end of the day, we lost the game on two set-plays," he added. "The first half was very good, but in the second, we didn't have that link with the strikers.

  "I think we deserved more tonight, it was tough to accept conceding two goals from dead-ball situations."

  Meanwhile, Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini revelled in his side's victory, which lifted them to the top of the table and already had their supporters chanting songs about winning the Scudetto.

  "Naturally, this is a great victory against a team with undoubtedly very talented players among the best in the league, and we thoroughly deserved the win," he said.

  "The people of Bergamo have their feet firmly on the ground, so don't take anything for granted. If we were still up there after another 20 games, it'd be different, but as things stand, it is an expression of joy and a deserved one, too."