Premier League exclusive: The truth behind Fonte's exile at Southampton and THAT Man United offer

Southampton manager Claude Puel felt compelled to leave Jose Fonte out of his squad for Wednesday’s EFL Cup semi-final against Liverpool after his club captain ‘showed a consistently bad attitude’ in recent months, Yahoo Sport has been told.

Fonte made it clear that he has been keen to leave Southampton since returning from playing a successful role in Portugal’s success at Euro 2016, with the 33-year-old defender turning down two contract offers in the last few months before he handed in an official transfer request last week.

The second of the contract offers would have guaranteed Fonte a sizeable Premier League pay packet past his 36th birthday, but Fonte and his agent Jorge Mendes have made it clear that he is keen to leave the club rather than commit to a new deal and as a result, Puel opted to head into the Liverpool game without his skipper.

Fonte, who joined Southampton in 2010, has infuriated some senior staff at Southampton with his wavering devotion to their cause in the last few months, with sources telling us that his eagerness to hand in a transfer request last week has been viewed as the final act of defiance from a player who has not behaved in a manner you would expect from a club captain this season.

Former Benfica defender Fonte was strongly linked with a move to Manchester United last summer, but we understand that the Old Trafford club DID NOT make any move to a sign a player whose agent Jorge Mendes also lists United boss Jose Mourinho among his clients, despite strong hints from the Fonte camp that an offer has been lodged by the Manchester giants.

Now Southampton have confirmed that they will consider offers for Fonte once a suitable replacement can be found, with club officials infuriated by the attitude of a player who had become one of the symbols of the club’s revival in recent years.

“Jose won’t participate for this game,” Puel told a news conference on Monday. “We will see for the next game. It is important to keep stability. We do not know the future of Jose, it is a difficult situation in the market. I respect Jose, it is not an easy situation for the staff or players. It is difficult.

“I do not comment on the possibility (of Fonte leaving). I think it is important to respect the other players. It is an opportunity also for Jose to view different opportunities and it is important to respect this.

“For me, it is important to keep stability in defence first, and second, we will see what the situation of Jose in this market is. If Jose came to leave the club, it is normal for us to look at other opportunities (to replace him).

“It is important for us to remain open in the market and look at other opportunities. We do not know about other opportunities yet, it is difficult for the club to improve the squad this month.”

Fonte was a part of the Southampton side that dragged the club back into the top half of the Premier League after they fell into League One following financial difficulties, with his role in their rise back to prominence at the top of English football earning him cult status among some of the club’s supporters.

Yet his devotion to the club has wavered in alarming fashion in recent months, with Puel now forced to leave him out of his squad as Southampton look to win a place in their first major Cup Final since 2003.