SMITH ORDERS GRAVESEN BACK

The midfielder returned to Denmark to see his sick grandfather, but angered the beleaguered Everton boss - believed in some press reports as having just two games left to save his job - by criticising The Toffees.

"On Saturday evening he called and told me to come back on Monday morning. He is getting fed up with the articles," Gravesen told BT.

"This is a personal situation and he should accept that I want to be there to support my grandfather.

"But if he insists, I will of course have to go back to talk to him. But I am sure that when we get to talk to Walter, he will understand that I would like to stay until Wednesday."

Gravesen and his agent John Sivebaek sent a fax with the translation of a BT article to the Everton boss on Sunday, as he felt he had been misquoted, but what angered Smith was the comments made in another daily Horsens Folkeblad.

"I will go there, but first I will try to get hold of Walter Smith on the phone. We don't know what will happen if Thomas doesn't show up before the deadline, but if he is just to get a bashing, it could wait," indicated John Sivebaek.

The agent admitted that the quality midfielder probably has spoilt his future at Goodison Park.

"It's an unfortunate and tricky situation, it depends how Walter Smith tackles it, but honestly, I find it hard to see any future for Thomas at the club.

"If deep inside he doesn't want to stay, Everton will not get the optimum out of him by forcing him to stay," the agent pointed out.

Bundesliga side Hamburg remain keen to bring the midfielder back to Germany, as their sports director Holger Hieronymus reaffirmed.

"Gravesen is always interesting us," Hieronymus said. "Sportwise, we would really like to get him, but the question is if we can finance it."