Sean Dyche breaks silence on ‘altercation’ with Everton star during training – Footymercato.com

Everton manager Sean Dyche has played down an altercation with defender Nathan Patterson after allegedly slapping him in front of his team-mates.

While on Everton’s warm-weather training camp in Portugal before the international break, it was reported that Dyche had playfully slapped Patterson during a meal at the Algarve resort of Quinta do Lago. But the 22-year-old full-back and some other players were left unimpressed, prompting Toffees captain James Tarkowski to step in and cool tensions.

The pair were reported to have left the table for a short period before returning to finish their meals with the rest of the squad. Dyche, 52, is understood to have apologised to former Rangers prospect Patterson and has now addressed the situation in public. “The old favourite – never let the truth get in the way of a good story,” the Everton boss said ahead of Saturday’s trip to Bournemouth. “There’s nothing in it, really. It was a joke.

“I tapped him on the head like your older brother would, and he didn’t get the joke. That was it, basically. There’s no more to it. But of course, that wouldn’t have sold. So, when that does get out everyone has to add layers and layers and layers to it but it’s really that simple. That was it.”

Scotland international Patterson, who hasn’t featured for Everton since January, is said to have been left embarrassed by the initial situation. The evening was said to be largely good-natured and club sources insist it was merely a clumsy joke which backfired.

Meanwhile, Dyche addressed the uncertainty surrounding Everton’s potential latest points deduction. The Toffees were docked 10 points in November, reduced to six on appeal, for breaking profit and sustainability rules in the three-year period ending in the 2021-22 season. Since then, they’ve received a second charge for the three years until 2022-23.

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“We’re just waiting, really, like we did last time,” Dyche explained. “I’m sure everyone’s hoping that it’s fast-tracked slightly, but we’ll have to wait and see. I don’t think anyone has concrete proof of how or which way these things will go, particularly after the first one.

“We can only give the information that’s appropriate. I wasn’t there, obviously, but I’m told we’ve given every bit of information that we can give. We hope that they see, accordingly, what the club has been trying to do to make sure we’re within the right areas that they need us to be in. So, therefore, we’ll hope that it comes to nothing.”

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