Aston Villa striker Ross McCormack has given his side of the story involving a missed training session due to problems with his home's electric gates.
Villa boss Steve Bruce criticised the striker last month, saying that he missed training because the gates outside his house were stuck, and questioning his attitude towards the club.
McCormack, who joined Nottingham Forest on loan just before the January transfer window shut, told reporters at the City Ground: "It's a true story, honestly. Listen, I'm not a kid, I know how it sounds. But there were factors to it.
"At Villa, if you had a problem, you phone the doctor in the morning. So I called the doctor about 10 to 15 minutes before I would normally leave to warn him I might be running a bit late.
"It was never anything from me saying i wasn't coming into training. Just that I was going to be a bit late until I got the gate fixed.
"I was supposed to go in to training, but by the time the guy had come in and fixed the gate, it was about 4pm. I rang the club and told them I could now get in, but they said don't bother - we'll see you tomorrow."
McCormack, formerly of Fulham, joined Villa in August 2016 for £12m on a four-year deal, but is now on loan with the Reds until the end of the season.
Giuseppe Labellarte
