Striker Leon Clarke has denied comments by Swindon Town boss Paoli Di Canio that he is 'not very professional'.
Striker looking forward to proving himself on loan at Chesterfield
Leon Clarke has denied comments by Swindon Town boss Paoli Di Canio that he is 'not very professional' after completing a loan move to Chesterfield.
The striker joined Swindon on a two-year contract last month after leaving Queens Park Rangers and made four appearances for the Robins.
However, he was involved in a bust-up with Di Canio and the club's fitness coach following the Carling Cup defeat by Southampton at the end of August.
Di Canio subsequently stated the 26-year-old would not play for Swindon again and criticised Clarke's professionalism, while also hinting that the forward wanted to dictate his training schedule.
But, fresh from joining League One side Chesterfield on a three-month loan, Clarke has responded to Di Canio's comments after apologising for the incident.
Unfortunate
"The incident on the 30 August 2011 between myself, the fitness coach and the manager was unfortunate and should have been avoided at all costs," Clarke told
skysports.com in a statement.
"However, I believe the subsequent comments made by Mr Di Canio are not a true reflection of what occurred. The personal comments made by Mr Di Canio about myself are denied.
"I would like to take this opportunity to apologise to the fans, my team-mates, the chairman and board of directors at Swindon FC for the inconvenience and embarrassment this issue has caused.
"I remain a Swindon FC player and wish the club all the success in the forthcoming season, however, I am looking forward to proving myself as a Chesterfield FC player.
"I now consider this matter to be closed and have nothing further to add."
