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Morgan Schneiderlin admits he has been surprised by supporter reaction following his axeing from the Everton squad along with team-mate Kevin Mirallas in November.

The pair were completely frozen out for the visit of Watford, after an incident the previous day when both players were invited to leave the training pitch by coach Duncan Ferguson - and accepted the invitation.

Schneiderlin was restored to the starting line up for the following match at Crystal Palace, but substituted at half-time, but since Sam Allardyce's appointment as manager he has started the last two matches.

On the training ground incident Schneiderlin said: "It was a thing coming out from nothing. I was surprised that this story came out because I didn't really do anything.

"It was the choice of the manager not to put me in the squad, it was not because I behaved bad or something. It was just a choice for him (David Unsworth).

"For myself I was surprised but there will always be some people who are going to believe what they read in the press.

"My only thing is to show them on the pitch that I'm 100 per cent focused. I can assure everyone that I am focused, that I'm just thinking about Everton and to improve the results and myself every day."

Schneiderlin enjoyed an outstanding introduction to life at Everton following his £20m move from Manchester United last January, but this season his form has been poor.

Cheap red cards at Manchester City and in Lyon have not endeared him to the Blues faithful.

Mirallas, the other player involved in that training ground incident, has only started two matches since - games Everton lost 4-1 and 5-1 - and was withdrawn in each.

He hasn't featured in a first team squad since the traumatic defeat at Southampton in November.