McClaren cools Dzeko rifts rumours

Wolfsburg coach Steve McClaren on Wednesday insisted he had no problems with Edin Dzeko, despite the Bosnian striker having refused to shake his hand after being substituted on Saturday.

Dzeko, the Wolfsburg captain, was taken off with two minutes to play after missing a penalty in the 77th minute of the 0-0 draw with Werder Bremen.

He made no secret of his displeasure, avoiding McClaren’s outstretched hand on the touchline and making straight for the tunnel, rather than joining his team-mates on the bench.

“I can understand it. Football is a sport where there are lots of emotions and you have to manage them,” McClaren told the club website.

The English coach, who arrived from Dutch side FC Twente last summer, did not reveal if the 24-year-old would be fined over the incident.

“It’s something we’ll resolve internally,” said the former England manager.

Dzeko has scored nine goals this season, but Wolfsburg have had an indifferent start to the campaign and currently sit 13th in the Bundesliga.

The powerful centre-forward has been linked with some of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Real Madrid, but Wolfsburg have fixed his asking price at 40 million euros and vowed that he will not leave in the January transfer window.