Coach Claims Didier Drogba Left Out After Refusing to Sit on Bench for Montreal Impact

Chelsea and Ivory Coastlegend Didier Drogba refused to sit on the bench for Montreal Impactand therefore withdrew from the match-day squad this weekend as the MLS franchise faced Canadian rivals Toronto FC. That is, according to Impact coachMauro Biello.

Speaking to the Canadian media after the 2-2 draw, a result which clinched a playoff berth for the club, Biello explained that 38-year-old Drogba was less than pleased to be named as a substitute and to appear from the bench later on.

From the coach himself: Why Drogba was not in the 18 vs. @torontofc. https://t.co/o1q1DKJzmh

"I spoke with him and he didn't accept the fact that he would come off the bench and, in the end, he didn't want to be in the 18 squad," Biello revealed.

"He decided not to play.We had a game to play. I had 28 other players to think about and we put the team first," the Montreal-borncoach added.

Drogba scored 11 goals in 11 games after joining Impact mid-way through the 2015 season after leaving Chelsea as a Premier League champion for the fourth time. He began the 2016 campaign in fine form earlier this year, but has sincebegun tostruggle of late.

After 18 starts in 22 appearances, Sunday night marked the third straight game in which Drogba was omitted from the Biello's XI - he didn't play at all against Orlando City at the start of the month either - while he's only scored two goals in his last 10 appearances.

Only last week, Drogba was linked with a return to Europe on loan in January, with Napoli reportedly considering an approach as they look to various options for cover for long-term injured striker Arkadiusz Milik.

To continue the discussion on Twitter follow @jamiespencer155

Visit www.facebook.com/jamiespencer155