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Ross McCormack has been axed by Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce who has deemed the striker unfit to play.

Bruce confirmed post match that the Scottish forward has been continually missing training and the 30-year-old, who joined from Fulham in the summer for £12million.

McCormack has been disciplined and told he will not feature until his attitude improves.

Eyebrows were raised when the striker was left out of the squad and Bruce let rip after today's 2-2 draw with Preston.

He said: "McCormack is, in my opinion, not fit enough to play. He won't play unless his attitude towards training and missing training improves. If he continually keeps missing training then that's going to be the situation.

"Not in 20 years of management have I gone down this route before. I only ask one thing of them, to turn up. He's decided that the team has picked itself today."

Asked whether it's an ongoing problem with McCormack, Bruce said: "It's happened more than once."

There have been suggestions that Fulham are interested in taking McCormack back to West London, but Bruce said that there is nothing in place to his knowledge.

"Not that I'm aware of. Unless it's happened in the last two hours," he added.

"It hasn't quite worked for him. We all don't want this situation. That doesn't interest me. There's been too much indiscipline at this club for too long and I won't put up with it."