Taarabt directs angry response at Redknapp’s unfit assertions
ANGRY QPR midfielder Adel Taarabt has hit back at manager Harry Redknapp’s assertions he is overweight and unfit to play top-flight football.
The 25-year-old was on the end of a stinging rebuke from the former Tottenham boss after failing to make the bench for Sunday’s Premier League clash with Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool.
Redknapp claimed the Moroccan player-maker, who had loan spells with Italian giants Milan and Fulham last term, was three stones overweight and did minimal running during a reserve clash earlier in the week, accusations Taarabt disputes.
“I am a professional, this is not about retaliation, this is about protecting my reputation,” said Taarabt. “I played in that reserve game for 90 minutes and if he didn’t think I was running he could have taken me off. I can only get fitness playing Premier League.”
Taarabt also aimed a shot across the bows of the training schedule under Redknapp, which he believes is substandard and not of the quality of a Premier League club.
He added: “The training sessions aren’t the same standard as Milan, or what I would expect under another manager.”