Bradford City manager Graham Alexander hits out at 'wrong' Jake Young comments by rival manager

Young scored 16 goals on loan at Swindon Town in the first half of the season.

He has been recalled to Valley Parade but is yet to play through injury, so could join a third club in this transfer window. Carlisle are one of a number of League One sides interested in being that club.

But after Tuesday's 2-1 defeat at Barnsley, Simpson said Bradford were asking too much for the player.

"It's wrong," said Alexander when asked about the comments. "Plain and simple, it's wrong.

"I didn't speak about Jake and he was our player when he was on loan, out of respect for him doing a job for Swindon. I spoke to them about him.

"I spoke to the manager (Simpson) myself last week when he asked me about him. I told him my thoughts on Jake, that I didn't want to sell him. I couldn't have been any clearer.

"It's straight after the game and I know emotions can be high, I've been there myself, but there are certain things where it's not an excuse.

"Is there an agenda behind it? Potentially, about letting a player know.

"I don't think he has any right at all to set a price on any other team's player, to be honest, so I didn't really get where he was coming from.

"But we crack on. We're all grown adults and it's a country of free speech."

Alexander hopes Bradford's actions in putting a high price on Young back up the words said to a striker who resumed jogging this week but who is highly unlikely to feature at home to Doncaster Rovers on Saturday,

"I spoke to Jake myself and made it clear my thoughts and ideas about him,” said Alexander.

"Then he (Simpson)'s decided to say what he said after his game. It was completely wrong.

"I don't think it was particularly disruptive to Jake because I think he knows for sure how highly we rate and value him.

"I'd told him to his face anyway but maybe that proves the point even more.

"He (Simpson) might have done me a favour, I don't know!"