Pre-season training is a hard slog, whatever the sport or level of participation that you consider. Leeds United have just started theirs, minus one player who is missing for “family reasons” according to the Yorkshire Evening Post (YEP).
The player in question is Leeds’ much-ridiculed and oft-criticised central defender Giuseppe Bellusci. To say that Bellusci has come in for flak from fans would be an understatement.
A certain section of fans are angry at his defensive inconsistencies, his apparent divisive nature and his demeanour around the club. In fact, some of these fans are simply angry at Bellusci; this can be seen by the level of vitriol directed at him on his Twitter feed.
At times, the Italian doesn’t help himself with some saying that his abrasive nature is enough to ignite fan reaction. An example of this was his refusal to join in the customary lap of appreciation at the end of the Charlton home game that finished off last season’s Championship campaign.
This led to one fan (below) going as far as to speak to the player at the end-of-season awards dinner.
However, as Phil Hay in the YEP reports, Bellusci missed the first session of pre-season training yesterday due to ‘family reasons.’ A number of players were absent yesterday, Bellusci amongst them. According to Hay and the YEP, “Bellusci is currently in Italy and is understood to have been given permission by the club to deal with family issues.”
The defender, who came with the nickname ‘The Warrior’, arrived two seasons ago from Italian side Catania, is thought to have been a transfer interest of clubs back in his homeland with a rumoured £5m bid placed on him during the January transfer window by Verona. Empoli, another Italian side, are also said to be keeping track of the controversial Italian.
