Villa boss Martin O’Neill has played down reports of a spat with England under-21 boss Stuart Pearce after Craig Gardner was forced to stay on during the recent friendly against Poland at Molineux despite suffering a thigh strain.
Gardner now faces a three-week absence with the injury but O’Neill said he had no problem with Pearce.
“Craig will be struggling for a few weeks. It’s very disappointing for the lad and for us,” said O’Neill.
“But I never said anything as adamant as seeking talks with him (Pearce).
“Someone said: ‘will you speak to Stuart?’, and I said: ‘I’m sure I will’. That’s the way it was put.
“I haven’t spoken to him, he hasn’t spoken to me. It’s done at the end of the day. And I won’t be seeking talks. The incident is over.
“I have no problem with Stuart Pearce. I get on fine with him.
“The Agbonlahor incident was cleared up.
“But I’m very unhappy about losing a player from a meaningless friendly.
“Apparently Craig stressed to the bench he was injured. I don’t think Stuart Pearce was on the bench, he was up in the stand. “I think Craig mentioned something to the doctor. That’s another issue.”
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