Frank McAvennie has had his say on Ryan Fraser refusing to extend his contract at Bournemouth which saw Eddie Howe rule him out of selection for the remaining games of the 2019/20 season.
Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie claims that the player – linked with a sensational move to Parkhead – wouldn’t endear himself to Neil Lennon with the sort of behaviour he has displayed.
So what has McAvennie said?
When asked to reflect on the situation and the problem that faced many players approaching the end of their contracts, he said:
“I understand what Ryan is doing by not saying anything but he has let his teammates at Bournemouth down.
“Managers like Lenny will not like that because he has left Eddie Howe in the mire, definitely.
“I understand he is looking after his family but listen, it is football, you can get injured.
“It is all about money and he must have made lots of money by now. He must be insured as well.
“There are a lot of players in England who signed until the end of the season and he should have signed that extra month so he could have played. I do not get it.”
So is McAvennie correct?
Absolutely, Lennon is not known for suffering fools and Fraser has admitted himself that he has let his teammates down with his efforts this season.
The difference is, is that the Northern Irishman would have sold the player earlier to prevent the situation or motivated Fraser to the extent that his standards didn’t slip.
You only have to look at the examples of Olivier Ntcham and Odsonne Edouard, who appeared for much of last summer to be leaving the club only to make telling contributions throughout the season.
Fraser will be looking for a bumper pay rise when he moves to his next club and he has sacrificed the respect of his manager, teammates and his club’s fans as a result, something you can’t ever put a price on.