Chelsea issue statement on Conor Gallagher video after midfielder is slated & accused of purposely ignoring a child mascot

The video in question shows Gallagher lining up in the Stamford Bridge tunnel before his team's Premier League clash against Burnley last week. A young mascot is seen holding his hand out for a high five from Gallagher but the midfielder merely taps his shoulder and turns to another mascot behind him.

The video led to Gallagher being accused of racism, with a number of fans on social media claiming he snubbed the first mascot because he is black. However, Chelsea have issued a statement denying such talk and said the video was taken out of context.

"Chelsea Football Club is aware of a video clip circulating on social media from Saturday’s fixture against Burnley, which has been taken considerably out of context," an official statement from the club read.

"The subsequent level of abuse and defamatory comments directed towards Conor Gallagher is completely unacceptable. We are proud to be a diverse, inclusive club where people from all cultures, communities and identities feel welcome."

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino added at his latest press conference: "This upset me so much because no one wants to do something like this with this intention. He did really well with both mascots and when you are there, playing football, focusing on many things, as you start a game, sometimes that can happen.

"But people try to find things like this to create a mess. I know Conor, come on, he never has that intention. Conor is a great kid who cares about everything. I hate people who use social media to abuse like this. It is so easy [for them]."

The 24-year-old will hope to shrug off the criticism when Chelsea take on Manchester United in the Premier League on Thursday. The Blues are unbeaten in their last five matches but picked up a disappointing 2-2 draw against 10-man Burnley last time out.