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Neil Redfearn: ‘freakish events’ caused six Leeds players to miss game
- ‘Every member of the squad receives first-class treatment’
- Six players absent for Charlton game after medical team’s decision
Neil Redfearn said the six Leeds United players missed the trip to London due to a freakish set of events.
Leeds United said “every member of the squad receives first-class treatment” as the club clarified the reasons behind the withdrawal of six players at short notice from Saturday’s Sky Bet Championship match against Charlton.
Six players – Mirco Antenucci, Giuseppe Bellusci, Dario Del Fabro, Marco Silvestri, Souleymane Doukara and Edgar Çani –withdrew from the squad on the eve of the trip to The Valley citing injuries.
Neil Redfearn, the Leeds manager, described their absence after the game as a “freakish set of events”.
The Italian quartet Antenucci, Bellusci, Del Fabro and Silvestri, the Frenchman Doukara and Albanian Çani all told Redfearn they were injured and could not travel to London.
According to the Leeds manager, Silvestri had been rested since sustaining a knock but had been expected to recover, while Antenucci and Çani declared themselves unfit after training on Thursday with the rest pulling out following a ‘light’ session on Friday.
On Sunday evening Leeds United released a statement on the club website in an attempt to draw a line under the controversy.
“Leeds United Football Club wants to clarify that during the days leading up to the away Championship fixture at Charlton Athletic on Saturday April 17 that six first-team players suffered injuries,” the statement on http://www.leedsunited.com read.
“While our first-team squad did not train on Wednesday, after the Norwich City fixture the night before, the club were aware that several players were carrying injuries after the game.
“The first-team squad and management returned to training on Thursday and Friday when these injuries were assessed by the club’s medical team.
“Upon assessment of the players, the medical team decided to take caution and on Friday six players did not finish the full training session.
“Every member of the Leeds United squad receives first-class treatment from the club’s head physio and his team at Thorp Arch.
“It was the medical team’s view from Thursday onwards that some first-team players would struggle to be fit for Saturday’s game at Charlton.
“It was declared that the six players were unavailable to travel to London on Friday; the club needs to protect its assets. The club completely stands by the internal medical recommendations that it receives.”
The withdrawals continued the chaos that has plagued Leeds.
Redfearn’s position has become increasingly threatened over recent weeks, despite leading the club to safety after taking over from the ill-fated David Hockaday and Darko Milanic.
He saw his assistant, Steve Thompson, lose his job without warning on 2 April and his own deal, which expires at the end of the season, looks increasingly unlikely to be renewed under the club’s current regime.
Massimo Cellino, the club president, has been banned since January after being found guilty of not paying tax on a yacht in Italy, but is due to return in a fortnight’s time.
The Leeds striker Steve Morison admits he has never experienced anything like the current circus surrounding the Yorkshire club. Morison, who scored Leeds’ goal in the 2-1 defeat at The Valley, told BBC West Yorkshire Sport: “We’re around it every day.
“People draw their own conclusions over what happened [with the withdrawals]. It’s a tough situation and you have to take everything at face value but it’s been like it all season in one way or another.”
When asked if there was a split in the camp, the 31-year-old added: “It’s just been one of those seasons where every day something different has happened.
“I have never known anything like it in football and I have played for teams scrapping for their lives - Millwall last year - and teams that have been promoted.”
