For the first time ever I apologise for the headline. I just made the mistake of spending 5 minutes looking at other sites’ headlines and now my head hurts. Imagine the size of headache that the owners of football clubs must suffer at this time of year.
Ross Barkley has not travelled with Everton’s squad to their second pre-season training camp in the Netherlands because of a groin problem.
Groin problems are like that old note from your mum sketch – excusing you from swimming or rugby or whatever, because you’ve got an ear infection. No matter how hard the PE teacher stares at your mother’s handwriting or at your ear, you’re home free.
Is really Barkley injured? If he is, then he is one of a very elite group of players who are genuinely injured at this time of year.
The second snippet is as mentioned previously. Sigurdsson has pulled out of Swansea’s pre-season trip to the USA claiming he was not in the right frame of mind to feature; and free spending Everton are thought to be eager to complete a deal for the 27-year-old as soon as possible.
So.
Coincidence?