Sean Dyche has downplayed his incident with Nathan Patterson.
The Everton manager and full-back found themselves in the spotlight after an incident which took place during a warm-weather training camp in Portugal.
Reports claimed that Dyche’s aiming of a ‘playful slap’ at Patterson had led to a heated row among the first-team squad as they dined at a local restaurant.
But Dyche addressed the flashpoint on Thursday ahead of the Blues’ upcoming trip to Bournemouth and insisted that it was a ‘nothing’ story.
He said: “You know, never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
“There’s nothing in it really, I tapped him on the head like your older brother would and he didn’t get the joke, there’s nothing more to it.
“But of course, that wouldn’t have sold [the story] so everyone has to add layers and layers and layers to it.
“It’s really that simple.”