Windass tore into the youngster branding him ‘p***’ in a scathing rant
Josh Windass in action for Sheffield Wednesday(Image: PA)
Released Sheffield Wednesday kid Joey Phuthi admits he was blindsided by Josh Windass calling him ‘p***’ – and says his tale about comparing himself to Lionel Messi was taken out of context.
Former Rangers forward Windass told the story on Open Goal about a young player called Joey who allegedly failed to run more than 9k during games.
He claimed he was asked to speak to him about it, before accusing him of being ‘p***’ and throwing Messi‘s running stats in his face as a counter-argument.
But 20-year-old Phuthi, who was just released by Wednesday with just two appearances to his name and is on the lookout for a new club, has spoken out on Windass‘ claims and reckons he’s missed out a key detail or two.
He wrote on X: “It’s disappointing to be called out by Josh Windass during what’s already been a really tough period for me — not being offered a new contract at Sheffield Wednesday has been difficult to process, and the last thing I expected was to be dragged into something like this.
“For clarity, the conversation has been completely flipped out of context. Windass asked me to name a player who doesn’t run over 10km in a game, and I responded honestly in that moment — it wasn’t personal, nor was it meant to be disrespectful. It’s frustrating to see things taken out of proportion when emotions are already high.
“I’ve always tried to conduct myself with honesty and respect, both on and off the pitch. All I want now is to move forward and focus on the next chapter of my career.”
Speaking on Open Goal, Windass had said: “We had a young lad called Joey. I think he’s been released, he’s p*** anyway.
“I was speaking to him in the canteen and one of our coaches said ‘have a word with Joey, he never runs more than 9k in a game, ever.’
“I asked him how much he ran in a game. He said 9k, then went ‘Messi don’t run.’ That’s what he said, a kid. I didn’t say anything, I was just thinking ‘you’re the worst player ever, and you’re talking about Messi’.”
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