Nathan Patterson 'embarrassed' as Sean Dyche SLAP enrages Everton stars in joke gone spectacularly wrong

Scotland star Nathan Patterson was reportedly left embarrassed after a playful SLAP with added force by Everton boss Sean Dyche shocked members his team-mates.

The Toffees have been the plush Portuguese resort of Quinta do Lago for a training camp during an English Premier League break - with FA Cup quarter finals taking place this weekend - but any attempt at bonding appears to have backfired.

That’s because the Daily Mail report that Goodison Park boss Dyche aimed a “jocular slap” at former Rangers man Patterson but that he used more force than intended which left the Everton players in shock. They say that “tempers became sufficiently heated for captain James Tarkowski to step in” and that “he took Dyche to one side to allow any lingering ill-feeling to subside.”

Both 22-year-old Patterson and Dyche are said to have left the dinner table before returning to finish their meals with the Everton gaffer reportedly apologising to the ex Rangers man who moved to Merseyside two years ago for an initial £11 million fee. Patterson took part in the final training session on Friday before the squad flew home from the Algarve.

Everton have been toiling in a turbulent season after being docked six points - reduced from 10 - over a breach of financial rules. They sit in 16th place in the top flight, just four points above the relegation zone having escaped the drop on the last day of last season.