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What's the story?
Diego Costa refused to train with his Atletico Madrid teammates after the club decided to launch a misconduct investigation following the striker's red card against Barcelona. As a result, there has been a lot of speculation that the Spaniard could be on his way out of Madrid following the conclusion of the campaign.
Head coach Diego Simeone has made it clear that he does not want any player on his team that doesn't want to be there.
In case you didn't know..
Costa was shown a straight red card during Atletico's loss against Barcelona earlier this month by referee Gil Manzano, who wrote in his post-match report that the 30-year-old had insulted his mother which was the reason he had been kicked out of the match.
The striker was subsequently handed an eight-match ban that ruled him out for the remainder of Atletico's season.
The heart of the matter
Simeone was asked about whether Costa would be back with the club next season after his refusal to train on Thursday. While Costa did return to the pitch to train on Friday, the drama was still on the minds of journalists and fans alike.
“Any player who wants to leave, can leave,” Simeone said when questioned by the media.
“The situation with Diego at the moment is in-house, we resolved it yesterday and today (Friday) he has been training as normal."
“He has not enjoyed a good season which has not been helped by his injury, but we are hopeful his qualities can benefit us next season."
“We want him to return with hunger and put this behind him.”
While Simeone said he would like to have Costa back next season, it remains to be seen whether he really does want to deal with the distractions that the Spaniard brings with him.
What's next?
Even with Costa suspended, Atletico earned all three points on Saturday away to Eibar, winning 1-0. They take on Valencia next as they look to solidify second spot in La Liga.
