Bardsley pictured on casino floor in pile of £50 notes... leaving strict Sunderland boss Di Canio furious

Flat out: Phil Bardsley lies with £50 notes spread over his face and body and on the floor around him

Phil Bardsley has been pictured lying flat on the floor of a casino in a pile of £50 notes. The Sunderland right back and Scotland international has denied that alcohol was involved. It is believed Bardsley had been celebrating after Wigan’s midweek defeat at Arsenal confirmed Sunderland’s Premier League status.

The full-back  arranged the £50 notes in a 3-0 mosaic — a reference to Sunderland’s Tyne-Wear derby win at Newcastle last month.

Bardsley, 27, enraged manager Paolo Di Canio who has axed him from the Black Cats squad for their clash with Tottenham.

The former Manchester United player is part of the Sunderland squad which has been given strict rules on behaviour by the Italian.

                             

At the table: Barcsley sits at the roulette table with a pile of chips

Cash bed: Bardsley lies down on the casino floor amid a spread of £50 notes

Di Canio's side travel down to White Hart Lane today to face Spurs in a game that, along with Newcastle v Arsenal, will decide which of the two north London sides qualifies for the Champions League.

In midweek Bardsley was at the casino with team-mate Matthew Kilgallon until the early hours, and the players turned up for training the next day.