Russell Martin has made it clear that unsettled striker Michael Obafemi has to earn back the trust of the staff and his team mates after more personal issues have been brought to the fore by the Republic of Ireland striker.

Having agreed he didn’t want to play in the 1-0 defeat of QPR a two weeks ago and then being omitted from the postponed away game squad at Birmingham, it now seems missing out on the midweek defeat to Sheffield United won’t be the end of his woes. Speaking today Russell Martin stated. “He’s been out of the squad for the last two games, he has a chance to be involved tomorrow at some point maybe, like everyone else. And we will make that decision this morning. He will be back in the team when he earns the right to be back in the team. And he will be back in the squad when he earns the right to be back in the squad”

That sounds like the best Obafemi can hope for tomorrow is a place on the bench, although that doesn’t seem an absolute. Martin though isn’t one to fall out with his players and determine no pathway back for another bout of poor attitude from Obafemi. “But really there is no personal problem with Michael, we get on brilliantly, he just needs to earn the trust back from his team mates” Those are big words from the swans boss, and there is clearly more to this than is being disclosed at present. However, the very fact he isn’t playing and it’s down to Obafemi and nobody else, and his lack of reasoning to manage situations himself as an adult is far more concerning. As has been mentioned on these pages before, had he the slightest degree of reflection and ability to learn from his own experiences he may well be a Burnley player now. And the clear sign he hasn’t learned from last season is reflected in his current issues at the club - again.

Speaking to sources who know more than most regards the potential of a Burnley transfer a few weeks ago there are actually a few people within the walls of Turf Moor who are actually breathing a sigh of relief. Especially as his behaviour will always feature in any due diligence a club does before offering money for a player. They may well feel they have escaped a bullet with Michael’s current mindset. And let’s be honest he wouldn’t get the care and attention at Burnley he gets from the swans, his behaviour wouldn’t be tolerated. He is a professional who gets exceptionally well paid for his services, and when those services aren’t forthcoming what can he really expect ?

When Martin talks about trust of course he is not only reflecting on his own personal feelings he is also reflecting his staff and clearly that of the players. Obafemi is very much a difficult entity to manage, nobody will argue with that, but when your behaviour disrupts others and causes issues what can he expect to happen ? We’ve seen how good he can be, let’s return to that form Michael, nobody needs this every few months.

We will leave this report here when Martin refers to trust. “The trust that was shown in him for a very long time, so it really is that simple, there are no three sides to the story”

And we agree.

Photographs licensed from Reuters