Ousmane Dabo has branded Manchester City team-mate Joey Barton a "coward" over a training ground fight that has left him "disfigured". The 30-year-old required hospital treatment and is reported to be considering taking legal action against Barton over the bust-up that erupted after a row during training.

Dabo told L'Equipe, the French sports paper: "I am disfigured. My left eye has been affected. I believe he put his fingers in my eyes. I am suffering. But I don't remember much because his first punch made me lose consciousness. I went to turn around, he hit me and knocked me out. He acted like a coward, it wasn't a fair fight."

Dabo claims the pair exchanged fierce challenges and squared up before Barton launched his attack. "I just pushed him away and turned my back to walk off," Dabo told The Sun. "That's when he hit me. I really don't remember exactly what happened but I've been told by all my team-mates he hit me from behind, a right hook which hit me on the temple and knocked me out for a few seconds.

"As I started to fall he jumped on top of me, held my head and punched me twice more in the face. Apparently when I was on the floor he again punched me before being pulled off. When I came round, and it can only have been a matter of seconds, there was blood everywhere.

"I was spitting blood and my eye was clouded over and when I realised what had happened - I wanted to go after him. When I woke up this morning I looked at myself in the mirror with my face all swollen up and I looked like the Elephant Man. I'm a big guy and if it had been a face-to-face fight he would have known about it."

Willie McKay, Barton's agent, said: "Joey is an easy target. He was acting in self-defence."

Meanwhile, Stuart Pearce has insisted the team will not be affected by the training ground bust-up ahead of this weekend's Manchester derby.

"I am sure the rest of the players will react very professionally," said Pearce. "There will be no negative response. The way the squad have handled everything has been a credit to themselves. I am sure they are galvanised by it."

"The matter is now the subject of an internal disciplinary hearing. The board will be involved, as will myself, and we will deal with it after the season ends."