There are doubts about whether the England fly-half will stay at Bath or return to his former club Leicester next summer

George Ford has admitted for the first time how he was left unhappy and unsettled by the abrupt sacking earlier this year of his father, Mike, from his role as Bath’s head coach.

A year earlier, the family double act had guided Bath to the Aviva Premiership final. But Bath struggled during the 2015-16 campaign, with the sudden departure of Sam Burgess creating disruption, while injuries and Test call-ups hampered the quest to pull out of the downward spiral.

Bruce Craig, Bath’s owner, lost patience and Ford Snr was released in May.

George Ford admits he was left unhappy and unsettled by dad Mike's sacking at Bath

Ford (left) and dad Mike celebrate a victory for Bath at Recreation Ground last year

The whole episode had an impact on George and the after-effects are still being felt, with lingering doubts about whether the England fly-half will stay at Bath or return to his former club Leicester next summer.

Speaking openly about the issue for the first time, George told Sportsmail: ‘It was difficult. I’m not going to say it wasn’t. I didn’t agree with it — I’d be daft if I did agree with it. The reason I was so upset and disappointed… well, it’s your dad at the end of the day, so you’re going to be.

‘I just think if you look at the three years I’d been at the club and my dad had been there, we went from eighth or ninth in the league to the Premiership final.

‘The rugby was fun, too. We placed a lot of emphasis on the execution of attacking rugby and we had a young English team.

‘Last year was obviously massively disappointing but I don’t think there was one particular reason.

‘There were a lot of factors. We got ourselves into a hole but we were doing our utmost to turn it round. We were believing, but in a way we probably tried a little bit too hard.

Mike's sacking had an impact on George and the after-effects are still being felt

There are lingering doubts about whether the England fly-half will stay at Bath

‘I honestly think that last year would have been the making of us as a team if everyone had carried on.

‘I think you can see a bit of that this year. I’m not taking anything away from the new coaches, because they’ve been brilliant, but I think the experiences we went through as a young team in a tough year — that would have been invaluable for us.’

Just months after the upheaval, the Fords have made light of the situation.

Mike is now head coach at Toulon, just weeks after being brought in to join the management team. And George is playing with freedom and authority again.

Ford is playing with freedom and authority again for Bath after the upheaval

‘Things happen in professional sport and we’ve just got to crack on,’ he said.

‘Everything happens for a reason. My dad is all right in the south of France now! He’s enjoying it. He’s not having to worry about any dramas going on. He’s just loving coaching rugby again.

‘He has said that in that third year at Bath, he probably lost sight of that a bit, because there were so many things going on, so many distractions, but we will all learn from it and I’m really proud of the way he’s come back.

Ford looks on during an England training session last week in Vilamoura, Portugal

‘He’s gone to Toulon and made an impact already. I’m not being biased because he is my dad, but he is probably one of the best coaches, for a young English guy who wants to attack and understand the game.

‘But things happen and time is a good healer, so you just crack on, I suppose.’

George’s own plans after this season remain a mystery. For now, he merely says he has two years left on his contract at Bath and that ‘nothing has changed’. Time will tell.