Leeds midfielder Michael Doyle has defended Jermaine Beckford following the striker's act of petulance at the weekend.
Beckford reacted angrily to being substituted with 15 minutes remaining in the 1-0 victory over Southampton and shrugged aside the offer of a handshake from manager Simon Grayson.
Doyle told the Yorkshire Post: "I didn't see the incident but I just think that we've all had the situation where we've been disappointed at being taken off. You have to respect the manager's decisions but I am sure it was a case of him being just disappointed. He's the type of player who will be looking to bounce back and give the right response and score a few goals."
Saturday's incident has raised doubts over Beckford's future at the club, with the striker out of contract at the end of the season.
But Doyle added: "We need to keep him. We have some really good players here, although Jermaine is a special player who has been at the forefront of some good Leeds teams, knocking goals in left, right and centre. He's a really big player and, hopefully, we can keep a hold of him to get ourselves to the next level."
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