• Bruce claims absence was due to broken electric gates at striker’s home • Manager says McCormack will not play again until attitude improves

Steve Bruce said he will refuse to pick Ross McCormack until the striker’s attitude towards training improves after leaving him out of Aston Villa’s 2-2 draw with Preston. The striker, a £12m signing from Fulham in the summer, has been linked with a loan back to Craven Cottage, but Bruce denied any deal was close. Instead, he questioned the 30-year-old’s commitment to the cause.

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“In my opinion he is not fit enough to play and he will not play unless his attitude towards training and missing training improves. If it does I’ll reconsider but if he continues to miss training, as he has done, that will be the situation.”

Bruce claimed that McCormack excused himself from training last week by saying the electric gates on his property would not open. “He said he couldn’t jump over a fence that was four feet six inches high …

“There has been too much indiscipline here at Villa. Not in 20 years in management have I ever gone down this road [of shaming a player] but I feel I have to make a stance because I will not put up with it on my watch. How can I pick him when he doesn’t come in? His failure to turn up has happened more than once. Everyone can have an excuse but when it is more than once I will not accept it.”

Bruce also struggled to explain how his side lost the half-time lead to allow Preston to salvage an unlikely draw, which leaves Villa nine points adrift of the play-off places. Albert Adomah scored twice for Villa in the first half before Jordan Hugill scored twice after the break.

“We had a really great opportunity to put them to the sword and didn’t take it,” said Bruce. “The light at the end of the tunnel was that the first half was the best we have played.”