Morgan Schneiderlin is denying reports he was sent home early from training on Saturday, but should we believe the Everton midfielder?
Things are never straight forward for Everton and their fans. Take, for example, Sunday’s game with Watford, where they had to endure 12 minutes of injury time, before finally clinching a critical 3-2 win.
Another prime example involves the situation surrounding Morgan Schneiderlin. The problems started, when he was surprisingly absent from the squad for the clash with Watford.
The initial reports indicated Schneiderlin was left out, after walking out on a training session the day before. As per Andy Hunter of The Guardian, the Blues’ first team coach Duncan Ferguson accused the midfielder, and Kevin Mirallas, of lacking commitment.
Ferguson reportedly told the pair to go back inside, if they were not prepared to take the training session seriously. At that point, they apparently decided to leave, resulting in David Unsworth’s decision to leave them out of the squad for Sunday’s match.
As you’d expect, Everton fans were not happy with the attitude of the two players. However, it now seems there’s more to this story, that initially thought.
Schneiderlin took to Twitter on Monday, to refute the claim he was sent home. As reported by Sky Sports, he wrote:
"“I have seen press stories today about me “being sent away from training”. The stories are not true. I am fully committed to Everton and will continue to work hard for the Club and the fans in training and on the pitch.”"
We appreciate there are always two sides to a story where there are conflicting reports. In addition, it is often said the truth is somewhere in the middle.
With this in mind, what are we to believe? Is Schneiderlin being honest?
We have no horse in this race, so let’s look at this matter objectively. Let’s consider what we do know.
For a start, there is no denying Schneiderlin has been struggling lately and was recently sent off for the second time this season, in the 3-0 loss to Lyon. So is it possible he was left out of the Watford squad to just give him a break and a chance to recuperate?
We would say no, only because there has been no mention of this. Surely if this was the case, someone at Everton would have let it be known, as the last thing they want is more negative publicity surrounding the club.
As such, let’s look at what Schneiderlin actually wrote. He effectively says he was not sent away from training.
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Now theoretically this could be the case, when considering the initial reports. Essentially, the French midfielder and Mirallas were given the option to leave training, if they were not going to commit to the session.
It may seem like a minor thing, but the wording would allow Schneiderlin the chance to refute the speculation on a technicality. Of course, we realise we might be reaching here and there is a possibility he is being honest, when saying he did not leave training early.
Now if this is the case, there’s a simple way to get this mess cleared up. All Everton have to do is come out and confirm Schneiderlin and Mirallas stuck around to complete the training session, or that they left early for some other reason.
Ultimately, we may never know for sure what really happened. However, if disciplinary action is taken against the duo, it will lend credence to the initial story that they did walk off in the middle of training.
Next: Player ratings from 3-2 win over Watford
What’s your take on this situation? In your opinion, what do you believe happened during training on Saturday? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.