Results will not decide Randall return - Ferguson

Joel Randall has been with Peterborough United since 2021

Peterborough United boss Darren Ferguson insists there is no "standoff" with midfielder Joel Randall despite leaving him out of the team because of his attitude in training.

The 23-year-old did not play in the last two games against Birmingham City and Wigan Athletic, both of which ended in defeat.

Ferguson said last weekend that Randall, Peterborough's highest-paid player, had made it clear he is "not happy at the club".

But he told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire: "I've had many situations like this, but it doesn't mean in the world of social media they can just go and annihilate the boy.

"A mistake has been made. Can it be rectified. Of course it can. Will it be for Saturday? We'll wait and see."

Peterborough, who have slipped to 16th in the League One table, host Stevenage on Saturday (12:30 BST).

"I wanted to be transparent with everyone. I couldn't say he's still got an injury when he's not," Ferguson added.

"I had to be very honest and obviously that opened it up to the public domain and everyone's going to have an opinion on it. It doesn't mean the boy's never going to play for the team again.

"These things can be sorted out. This is a decision I've made for the whole group based on what I've seen. It can be rectified."

Randall has scored 12 goals in 70 league appearances for Posh and helped them reach the play-offs in the last two seasons. He admitted in August that transfer speculation around his future had caused some "distraction" leading into the new campaign.

Ferguson insisted, however, that poor results and the club's current situation with injuries would not influence his decision on when the time is right to bring him back into the first team.

"It would be a contradictory thing to do to say 'we've lost a couple of games, Joel, you can come back in the team'," he said.

"Regardless of the stature or standing of player I've got to be consistent and that's what I am being. I wouldn't change my mind or go against what I think is right because of results, that 's not going to work."

Midfielder Hector Kyprianou became Peterborough's latest injury concern when he went off with a hamstring problem against Wigan in midweek and is to have a scan.

"He was very sore after the game. He felt something very early in the game but carried on and thought it would go away. The result was him pulling his hamstring," Ferguson said.

Posh previously lost defender Jadel Katongo, who is on loan from Manchester City, with a similar injury during the Birmingham game.

Ferguson added: "We're happy to rehab him here. The initial part of it, the first couple of weeks, he will go back to City and then we'll work it between the two of us. Sometimes clubs insist they have to go back, but I think they're happy with how we do our job."

Peterborough hope summer signing Rio Adebisi - who has yet to play for the club because of a knee injury - may be back in training by the end of November.