Chelsea star Noni Madueke has issued a response after pundit Rio Ferdinand accused him of ‘disrespecting his teammates’ in the draw against Arsenal.
Madueke faced a wave of criticism for going straight down the tunnel after he was substituted by Enzo Maresca in the 68th minute during the Stamford Bridge clash, which finished 1-1 on Sunday.
‘It’s disrespectful to your team-mates,’ former United defender and football pundit Ferdinand declared. ‘I think the manager protecting him is mad, that’s a two-week fine!’
Madueke, though, has hit back at those remarks, explaining that he simply needed the toilet and swiftly returned to the bench as soon as he could.
‘I literally went down the tunnel to go to the toilet and I came back 30 seconds later,’ Madueke said.
‘If you watch a lot of games when I come off, I always going straight down the tunnel to go to the toilet. It is nothing major at all.’
Chelsea head coach Maresca admitted after the match that Madueke – who was replaced by Mykhailo Mudryk – was not happy at all with being brought off.
‘The problem is that when you change a player, they’re never happy,’ Maresca said.
Madueke has impressed for Chelsea this season, which has seen him rewarded with international opportunities for England.
He starred for England during their 3-0 win in Greece on Thursday and has been quizzed about rivalling Bukayo Saka for a regular spot in the starting XI.
‘I don’t look at Bukayo like competition,’ Madueke added. ‘I look at Bukayo as a team-mate who plays for England. I know his quality and he is a player that I look at to try and implement parts of his game into mine.
‘I don’t look at him like, “I am coming for you”. The manager will make his decision and I am happy to be part of this team, and to start to make a difference for England this early on in my career is great.
‘I feel like I did my job. I created the first goal and I was a threat pretty much until I came off. That is what I try to bring every time I step on the pitch.’
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