Released Sheffield Wednesday youngster responds to senior teammate outburst
Released Sheffield Wednesday youngster Joey Phuthi has offered a public response to an outburst made by his former teammate Josh Windass on a Scottish football podcast.
The Zimbabwe international, who made two substitute appearances for the senior side and has long been a key figure in the Owls youth ranks, was revealed to be leaving Wednesday by The Star last month and has since embarked on a trial period with Huddersfield Town.
Speaking on the Open Goal podcast in an episode released earlier this week, Windass told an anecdote that involved him having been asked to speak to a younger player with regard to improving his running stats. The 31-year-old attacker suggested the youngster had responded by saying ‘Messi doesn’t run’ and named the player as ‘Joey’. The clip was posted on social media and has been widely shared - and criticised by supporters.
Phuthi spoke of his ‘disappointment’ in the comments and made clear he wants to move on from the fracas.
Posting on social media, he wrote: “It’s disappointing to be called out by Josh Windass during what’s already been a really tough period for me - not being offered a new contract at Sheffield Wednesday has been difficult to process, and the last thing I expected was to be dragged into something like this.
“For clarity, the conversation has been completely flipped out of context. Windass asked me to name a player who doesn’t run over 10k in a game, and I responded honestly in that moment - it wasn’t personal, nor was it meant to be disrespectful.
“It’s frustrating to see things taken out of proportion when emotions are already high. I’ve always tried to conduct myself with honesty and respect, both on and off the pitch. All I want now is to move forward and focus on the next chapter of my career.”