Brian responds to Guthrie situation

Reading manager Brian McDermott has revealed that there was no bust-up between himself and Danny Guthrie, despite media speculation suggesting so.

The former Newcastle midfielder was omitted from the squad that played Fulham on Saturday and some media sources reported that McDermott told Guthrie to ‘stay away from the training ground’ after reacting badly to the decision. However, McDermott has responded quickly to put these rumours to bed and said he trained the next day.

Speaking to The Independent, the former Slough boss said: ‘There’s no bust-up. He wasn’t selected to play for the game. So, I don’t know where the reports are coming from. Danny was training on Sunday. I try to have a conversation with the players that are not involved and I did have a conversation with him.’

‘Listen, if players are not in the side at this football club, they support the players that are in the side – that’s what’s got to happen. You get paid to play when you’re selected. And when you’re not selected, support the players that are playing. That’s what we’ve had over a long, long period of time. That’s the culture of this football club.’

It remains to be seen whether Guthrie will be involved in today’s Capital One Cup game against Arsenal, but if he is not involved, the saying ‘no smoke without a fire’ will certainly spring to mind. The Royals squad is already struggling for centre midfield options, as Jem Karacan will be injured for over a month.

Wiki page: Danny Guthrie