"Out of order” – Sheffield United star defends Reda Khadra after “bitter” Bristol City boss comments

The comments came from Bristol City boss Nigel Pearson, formerly a Sheffield Wednesday player, after his side were beaten by the Blades at Ashton Gate in midweek. Khadra was substituted just after the half-hour mark after being handed a rare start, before Iliman Ndiaye’s second-half winner.

Paul Heckingbottom, Pearson’s opposite number at Bramall Lane, questioned where the former Owl had worked with Khadra before to be able to cast such aspersions about his character and Norwood went further, describing the comments as ‘bitter’ and ‘out of order’.

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“It's bitter, isn't it? I don't know the manager at Bristol City but I think it's a bit of bitterness,” Norwood said of Pearson, who admitted he had tried to sign Khadra in the summer before the player ended up at Bramall Lane on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion. “It sounds like he picked to come here over them. I don't think there was any need for the comments he made.

"It's a bit unfair on Reda. He's not high maintenance and it’s bit unfair to comment on an individual like that and put it in the press. I don't think that was right. He's not his player and we want to protect him. We know what Reda can bring because we saw what he did for Blackburn against us.

"He's a good lad and a good lad around the dressing room. As senior players, we will speak to him and make sure he's all right because we are going to need him. You can see the number of people getting injured, he's going to be needed. At Swansea, he was the hero and won us the game. There are many twists and turns to come yet and he will be ready when he's ready.

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"For him [Pearson] to make a comment of him being high maintenance is why I think it's out of order and unfair, because he doesn't know the lad. He wouldn't be allowed by the staff and the players to be high maintenance. It's not the people we have in the dressing room, it's not the characters we bring to the football club.

“There's a lot of work behind the scenes that goes into getting references off clubs you have played for, players you have worked with, managers … everything is under the microscope these days.

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"I am pretty sure if he was like that, we wouldn't have signed him but there's a reason why we signed him. He wouldn't get away with being high maintenance here. Everybody is focused on their job and works hard in training every day. If you are not working hard in training, you have no chance of playing.

"Everyone knows that, and everyone is aware of that. I think it was out of order to single him out like that."

United return to action on Saturday lunchtime when they host table-topping Burnley – Norwood’s boyhood club – at Bramall Lane in a Sky-televised game.

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