Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has claimed that Luka Modric did not want to play in Spurs' 5-1 defeat to Manchester City yesterday.
The Croatian player has been chased as a transfer target by Chelsea all summer, but numerous offers have been spurned and the Spurs management reportedly consider the saga to be over.
Modric was pulled from Spurs’ Premier League opener with Manchester United last week, and Redknapp has now revealed that the 25-year-old also wanted to miss the team’s City clash.
"Luka came to me at 11.30am and said to me, 'I don't feel my head is right today'", Redknapp told The Sun.
"I told him we had injuries and I said, 'I need you to come and play. We need you on the pitch, get out and play'. I told him he was our main man."
And Redknapp believes that Modric’s protests could be the result of underhand techniques from Stamford Bridge.
"I'm sure he is getting advised to maybe not play today. We have seen it with other clubs. He was OK yesterday morning to play and obviously something happened. Who knows what went on."
Tottenham currently sit at the bottom of the Premier League table with 0 points and a minus-seven goal difference.