Sheffield United midfielder Oliver Norwood has branded Bristol City manager Nigel Pearson “bitter” for labelling teammate Reda Khadra “high maintenance”, having revealed earlier this week that he tried to sign the forward on loan.
Khadra was substituted after 34 minutes during City’s 1-0 defeat to the Blades on Tuesday night and in the aftermath of theloss Pearson detailed how he had tried to sign the German from Brighton & Hove Albion only for him or, as the Robins manager indicated, his agent to opt for a season at Bramall Lane.
Pearson reiterated his stance on Thursday, in preparation for Saturday’s trip to face Middlesbrough at the Riverside, claiming his City squad is lacking a maverick talent such as Khadra, outlining the 21-year-old's talent but also stating he was "probably high maintenance".
In fairness to Pearson, the comments were meant almost as a back-handed compliment and delivered more to illustrate the sort of personality he feels is missing from his dressing room, rather than an attack as such. But they have not been received well in Sheffield with it becoming a point of order at the pre-match press conference ahead of their Championship encounter with Burnley.
When asked for his reaction, Blades midfielder Norwood said, as reported by Yorkshire Live : “It's bitter, isn't it? I don't know the manager at Bristol City but I think it's a bit of bitterness.
“It sounds like he picked to come here over them. I don't think there was any need for the comments he made.
"It's a bit unfair on Reda. He's not high maintenance and it’s bit unfair to comment on an individual like that and put it in the press. I don't think that was right. He's not his player and we want to protect him. We know what Reda can bring because we saw what he did for Blackburn against us.
"For him [Pearson] to make a comment of him being high maintenance is why I think it's out of order and unfair, because he doesn't know the lad. He wouldn't be allowed by the staff and the players to be high maintenance. It's not the people we have in the dressing room, it's not the characters we bring to the football club.
“There's a lot of work behind the scenes that goes into getting references off clubs you have played for, players you have worked with, managers … everything is under the microscope these days.
“I am pretty sure if he was like that we wouldn’t have signed him, but there's a reason why we signed him. He wouldn't get away with being high maintenance here. Everybody is focused on their job and works hard in training every day. If you are not working hard in training, you have no chance of playing.
"Everyone knows that, and everyone is aware of that. I think it was out of order to single him out like that."
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