'Lowest thing' - Ex-Leeds United hero lashes out at want-away players refusing to play

Deane scored 45 goals in 201 games for Leeds after signing in 1993 from Sheffield United, in a then-club record deal worth £2.9million. He stayed at the club for four years in which they were a Premier League club, before returning to Bramall Lane.

The ex-striker Tweeted his disgust at players prioritising their chances of making a move by refusing to play, claiming it insults the efforts of a club’s past players.

“Got to say this, when I hear players refusing to play for their teams because they don’t want to spoil a move, for me it’s the lowest thing a player can do,” he said.

"It desecrates all the hard work put in by those before who had to earn the shirt and paved the way for players in now.”

His Tweet comes just days after Leeds revealed a ‘disciplinary matter’ regarding teenage winger Willy Gnonto. The Whites released a statement on Friday confirming that Gnonto had told boss Daniel Farke he was not able to play in either of last week’s games.

The statement read: “Earlier this week, Willy Gnonto and his representatives were informed by the club that he would not be sold this summer. Following those conversations, Willy felt he was unable to play in Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup tie with Shrewsbury Town. Despite training for the last two days, Willy has informed Daniel Farke that he still does not feel able to play this weekend and has not travelled to Birmingham for the game tomorrow. This is now an internal disciplinary matter and the club will make no further comment, other than to reiterate that Willy Gnonto is not for sale.”

Farke, who disclosed that Luis Sinisterra was also ‘not available’ for the Birmingham game without going into specifics, made his personal stance on want-away players clear following the 1-0 defeat.

"I'm quite pragmatic in the situation, if someone doesn't want to be with us then he will move out of the dressing room and won’t train with us because I just want a group who is really fully focused and fully committed,” he said.

"Believe me this club is bigger than any player or even any manager or even any board member, no one is bigger than the club and this is my attitude and if someone doesn't want to be with us, it's not like I'm praying and begging ‘please, please play for us’. For this club is much too big and if someone doesn't want to be a member of our group then my reaction is always like, ‘okay then, from this moment on, he doesn't train with us’, he can train more or less alone in their own dressing room but not with us anymore. I just need players who are fully committed to defend this shirt.”

Gnonto is not one of those with a relegation release clause in his deal and therefore would require any interested club to match the Whites’ valuation of him, but Elland Road chiefs insist their stance will remain. Jack Harrison became the latest player to activate a clause that facilitates a loan departure on Monday, joining Everton until the end of the season.