Alan Pardew denies 'being distant' with Jonas Gutierrez after cancer return

Former Newcastle United manger Alan Pardew has told an employment tribunal he was "aggrieved" at claims he was distant with midfielder Jonas Gutierrez after his cancer returned.

Mr Pardew said the 32-year-old Argentinian had instructed senior club officials he did not want news of his illness to be known, even among the players, after he was first diagnosed in October 2013.

Gutierrez, who has taken his old club to tribunal over a disabilitydiscrimination claim, had a tumour removed from his left testicle but the cancer later returned.

He spent seven seasons with Newcastle where he was earning £43,000 a week, but currently plays for Spanish side Deportivo La Coruna.

When the star's cancer returned in summer 2014 he went back to his homeland for what was ultimately successful treatment.

On Thursday, his barrister Martin Budworth asked Mr Pardew if he failed to make personal contact with the player because of a claim the club wanted rid of the player.

The 54-year-old, who now manages Crystal Palace FC, said:

"This does aggrieve me a little because when he first got diagnosed his instructions was he wanted nobody to know, not the players - and they asked specific questions - and I genuinely felt he wanted to deal with it in that manner.

"So all my concern for Jonas went through the doctor, and I do remember that he (the club doctor) was struggling for contact with Jonas at times and I took that as perhaps the way he wanted it."

Mr Pardew, who said he had always dealt with the player's health problems with "compassion", said he had previously spoken with Gutierrez of his own family's struggles with cancer.

He said:

"My father died of cancer and dealt with it by not telling us anything, none of my family knew.

"I think there's different ways of dealing with it.

"I kept my grief and my concern solely with the (club) doctor."

Mr Budworth also asked if the manager's attempt to contact Gutierrez, through his agent, was "to find out if he would figure in your plans" rather than genuine concern.

Mr Pardew said:

"When he got cancer the second time, I was a bit surprised and a little more concerned.

"Because the doctor told me they'd caught it so early and the removal of the testicle was done in good time, so the second time around you're concerned for the player.

"I wasn't worried about anything other than his welfare."

By the end of 2014, Gutierrez was fit again but accused the club of a betrayal in the way it had handled him.

In a meeting around that time, Mr Pardew recalled apologising to the player for telling him in December 2013 he would not feature in the manager's future plans for the first team.

Mr Pardew also said he was only repeating a decision he had already explained once to Gutierrez, in the summer 2013, although the midfielder disputes that conversation ever happened.

Central to Gutierrez's claim is that when Mr Pardew talked to him in December 2013, it was only on the orders of senior club officials when they found out about his cancer diagnosis, and not for any footballing reasons.

The ex-Newcastle player is also claiming the club then stopped playing him just short of triggering a year-long extension clause in his existing contract.

Mr Pardew said to Mr Budworth:

"If you are trying to gain points on that situation, then it's disheartening really."

"It wasn't a director's decision, of course it wasn't - all the footballing decisions were mine.

"I don't know how many games would have been left on the contract to trigger the (extension) clause, but it didn't matter to me.

"It's 100% not true."

The hearing continues.