Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso has dismissed suggestions that he was disrespectful to the rest of the squad after a game with West Bromwich Albion in 2020.
The Spaniard was hauled off at half time as Chelsea went 3-0 down at The Hawthorns before dramatically fighting back to salvage a share of the spoils.
After the match, it was widely reported that Alonso had got on the team coach much earlier than his teammates, a perceived show of disrespect which left him out of Lampard's plans for the remaining months of his tenure.
However, speaking to reporters in Abu Dhabi, the left wing-back has claimed that Lampard judged the situation incorrectly and that he did nothing wrong.
As quoted by The Athletic, Alonso said: "The manager didn't take it well but I explained everything that happened. He thought I left before the end of the game but I told him no. There were some medical staff in the changing room who can provide the right information.
"I watched the game upstairs and with five minutes to go, they [West Brom security] told me I cannot be here so I went downstairs to the changing room. Then when the referee blew the whistle I went to the coach before the team got back.
"It was not with any bad intention that I wanted to leave but I had a shower at half time already, I had a shower upstairs and then I just went. I was not happy, of course, with how the game went and everything but it was not any intention to do that. I spoke to my teammates straight after, to check if someone felt offended or something, everyone was OK."
Alonso has been a regular in the starting lineup since Thomas Tuchel replaced Lampard 13 months ago.
Darren Plant
