El Hadji Diouf has taken a fresh swipe at former Liverpool team-mate Steven Gerrard to reignite their long-running feud.
Gerrard and Diouf played together at Anfield from 2002 to 2004, before the latter's move to Bolton, with the pair sharing a mutual dislike of the other.
On the day Gerrard announced his retirement from playing, Diouf accused his former captain of being jealous, selfish and even a racist - which Gerrard denied - during a number of outbursts. Prior to that, Gerrard was open in his autobiography about the fact he was not a fan of the former Senegal forward's approach to football and the way he led his life.
Now, ahead of England's World Cup last 16 showdown with Senegal on Sunday, Diouf has taken a new pop at Gerrard, by claiming the former Liverpool star did not get on with his ex-England midfield partner Frank Lampard.
Diouf, now part of the Senegal coaching staff, was speaking in Doha ahead of the knockout stage clash at the Al Bayt Stadium. Asked about the spirit in Gareth Southgate's side, Diouf said: “England have a good team and a very good team spirit.
“It’s not like with Stevie G and Frank Lampard, when the two of them didn’t like each other, it’s about team spirit and Southgate did a great job. On Sunday it's not about the best team winning it, it’s the one with the strongest mentality and team spirit who are going to win it.”
If it goes to penalties, Diouf is convinced Senegal - who won the African Cup of Nations in a shoot-out - will prevail.
“If it goes to penalties, we’re going to win it, easy. I know the goalkeeper we’ve got and I know we can stop some of their penalties.”
Diouf, 41, said all the pressure will be on England, with African teams having shown in Qatar they are not to be underestimated.
“When some countries play against African teams, they talk about luck and that they’re not good enough or whatever,” said Diouf.
“But what we’ve seen at this World Cup - Tunisia beating France, Morocco going through and Senegal doing well - shows we want to be among the best in the world.”
But Diouf lent his support to England defender Harry Maguire, who has excelled for his country in Qatar, but cannot reclaim his status as a regular starter at Manchester United.
“I like Maguire,"said Diouf. "People are saying bad things about him but I don’t know why, because I think he’s a great defender.
"If you see him, maybe he doesn’t play for United for whatever reason, but for the national team he’s doing a very good job.
"It’s not about pace, it’s about teamwork, team spirit and if Southgate is playing him every game, it’s because he is one of the most important players.
“I don’t think England are going to make any mistakes, because these players are big players, world-class players, they play for the big teams.
"They have games like that every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, in the Champions League, so I don’t think they’ll make mistakes."
