Inter Milan manager Andrea Stramaccioni has insisted that Wesley Sneijder is failing to earn a place in his starting lineup purely for footballing reasons.
Sneijder was left out of the Inter team which beat Palermo 1-0 this afternoon but Stramaccioni is adamant that the decision has nothing to do with an ongoing contract dispute.
He told reporters: "Being coach of Inter involves working on the pitch and away from it, just like any team.
"It's my job to pick the best team available, and at the moment I'm not picking him.
"This has nothing to do with his contract, I have to select the team and Inter come first. It's not a case of the president (Massimo Moratti) telling me not to pick Sneijder, I pick the team."
The Dutch midfielder's future has been the subject of intense speculation in the last few weeks, with the Inter boss confirming he will hold a meeting tomorrow to discuss Sneijder's situation.
Liam Power
