Fulham club captain Tom Cairney has admitted that teammate Kenny Tete recently gave him a black eye in training.
Cairney was with Harrison Reed discussing the squad’s ratings on Football Manager on the club’s official YouTube channel.
It’s been a long international break for the Fulham squad, with the team not back in action until Monday night against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Plenty of players had jetted off around the world to compete for their countries while some of the squad have still been working with Marco Silva behind the scenes.
Bobby De Cordova-Reid scored a late penalty to help Jamaica qualify for Copa America in 2024.
Meanwhile, Antonee Robinson scored in back-to-back games for the USA as they also sealed their spot in next year’s tournament.
However, back on the Fulham training ground, Tom Cairney and Kenny Tete were getting too close for comfort.
The 32-year-old has suggested that a presumably accidental elbow has given him a black eye.
Having watched the way Tete plays in games, it’s no surprise he carries that intensity into his work on the training ground too.
Cairney suggests Tete gave him a black eye in training
Reed and Cairney are guessing which player is which on Football Manager based on their in-game attributes.
After identifying Tete’s stats, Cairney said: “Can the camera see my black eye or not? Can you zoom in on that?
Reed asked tongue-in-cheek: “What happened?”
Cairney replied: “Him [Kenny Tete], on there! What is his aggression? [11 out of 20] Nah, it should be at least 18.
“He elbowed me in training, but it’s alright, it’s fine, I’ve been through worse.”
The £3m defender has been missing for some time with an injury that has seen Timothy Castagne deputise well for him.
It’s a boost to hear that Tete is back in full training even if he’s caught Cairney with a stray elbow.
The two-time Scottish international could be introduced to the side against Wolves on Monday.
Joao Palhinha is suspended and Silva will have to shuffle his team around to make up for losing the Portuguese talisman.