Laudrup: Training ground bust-up in the past

The Dane revealed he had spoken to the defensive duo after tempers frayed to such an extent that the police were called last Friday.

Spaniard Flores and long-serving centre-back Monk have played down the incident and, ahead of an FA Cup fourth-round clash at Birmingham City on Saturday, Laudrup is eager for his side to let their football do the talking.

"It's never good when you have incidents. I played myself for many years and it happens sometimes for one reason or another," said Laudrup.

"But the things are always written about when things are not going that well on the pitch in terms of results. It's exactly the same here.

"I think both players - especially Chico - wanted to close this and said we have to look forward. If something happened, sorry. We just have to move on.

"I think that's the most important thing. These things are stories in difficult moments and we have a difficult moment, we have to admit that.

“I don't want to say it's no problem when people get into each other but you have to leave it and move on.

"It can happen when your pulse is up. You say things and react differently; you can have less patience when someone is telling you something.

"I have spoken to them both and I believe in dialogue. When people are back with a normal pulse like all of us here we can discuss it. People have to get calm again."

Laudrup was also quizzed about his own future at Friday's press conference ahead of the trip to Birmingham.

Reports have claimed the former Getafe coach could leave the Liberty Stadium at the end of the season, but the 49-year-old is not looking that far ahead.

He said: "How many times last year did I have to answer questions about that?"

"I don't want to go into that now. The only thing I can say is that, with our situation, I think no-one – players or the manager – should be thinking about next season.

"We have to think only about this season. I don't want anyone to be thinking about their futures, so I have to be the same.

"It’s about the present for me, not the future."