Everton boss Sean Dyche has addressed reports of a bust up with Scotland star Nathan Patterson.

Patterson, 22, has fallen down the pecking order in Merseyside during recent months as Ben Godfrey and Seamus Coleman have been preferred by Dyche at right-back. 

To make matter worse, it was claimed the Toffees manager had slapped the former Rangers youth star while having lunch at a club training camp in Portugal earlier this month.

Although, speaking to the media ahead of Everton's trip to face Bournemouth on Saturday, Dyche provided his take on the incident - claiming there was nothing in it despite talk of his actions leaving the squad unimpressed. 

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He said: “You know, never let the truth get in the way of a good story. So, 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.

“So, everyone has to add layers and layers and layers to it but it’s really that simple."