The last time City played, we had something like nine first-team players out, with a further two seemingly injured on the day.
The hope was we’d get some new faces in, as well as some players coming back from injury. One of those boxes has been ticked – Joe Taylor and Jack Moylan will be available this weekend, with Freddie Draper also back from his spell at Walsall.
We know Danny Mandroiu and Paudie O’Connor are still suspended, but what of the other players carrying knocks and injuries? Where are they in their rehab?
Thankfully, Michael is fine answering questions on all the injuries, and he went through each player in his pre-match presser. If you’re not a YouTube person, here’s the breakdown of who is injured and who is back, in alphabetical order.
Jack Burroughs
Coventry loanee Burroughs has a ‘soft tissue’ injury that kept him out New Year’s Day, but Michael Skubala admitted he is in contention for the weekend trip to Buckinghamshire.
“Jack Burroughs is back in training.” said Michael. “He’s been training really well.”
Freddie Draper
Freddie was recalled last Friday, with some asking why he played against Grimsby, where he took a knock, and others wondering why we didn’t leave him there for their cup tie.
It sounds like the plan was for him to play in the FA Cup, but following his injury, we protected our own interests and brought him back. Either way, he could feature this weekend.
“We pulled Freddie back Friday to make sure he’s okay. Kieran and the medical team have really looked after him. So, Freddie’s back in training.”
Ethan Erhahon
The former St Mirren man gave everyone a scare when he came off against Northampton, missing the Jan 1st tie at Bloomfield Road. However, he was pictured in training this week, and while Wycombe may come too soon, the injury isn’t as bad as feared.
“That’s good news because it’s not a break or anything like that. We’ve missed him. We’ve missed his experience in the middle of the pitch because he is our holding midfielder, but he’s back in, which is great.
“It’s gonna be close. He’s gonna be close.”
Reeco Hackett
Pacey, direct, chipping in with goals and assists – Hackett had it all before his injury. He’s been out since mid-October, but he’s on the cusp of a return.
That might not be against the Chairboys, as Michael explained.
“We’ve got to manage Reeco because he’s come back from a more of a long term (injury), so he might be available for Saturday, but that one’s touch and go.”
Ben House
Whilst he’s not due back any time soon, Michael did offer a little insight into Ben House’s current situation, confirming he’s not due back right now.
“Ben’s getting closer, but he’s still quite a way off. So we can’t get too excited about that.”
Lewis Montsma
Lewis suffered his third ACL injury last season, not long after coming back from his second. I’m reliably informed his first came earlier in his career. Three is a lot to take, and whilst Jodi Jones came back from it, it is a long road.
“He’s hugely disappointed, as we know,” Michael said of Lewis. “What a great guy. I’ve only seen clips of Lewis, but he’s a top, top guy, and he’s in the building trying to recover.
“That’s hard, really. Every day, he’s trying to do what he’s doing and what he comes back from. But again, like Tyler, he’s quite a way off.”
Sean Roughan
We were told that Sean’s injury was short-term, soft tissue damage that should be easy to get over. Guess what? We were told accurate information.
“Sean’s fit. Sean’s good. Sean’s looking good and has been training.”
Lasse Sorenson
Classy Lasse was featured in a video the club sent to my Dad this week, a get-well message which was a huge pick-me-up for my old man.
Has Lasse got over whatever forced him off against Blackpool? The answer is yes.
“That was a funny one because we didn’t want to make anything really worse with the numbers we had at that point. We were struggling for numbers, as you know, and we didn’t want to make anything really long-term.
“Lasse is now back in; he’s had a bit of time off, so he’s not been training with the other group fully, but he’s fine now.”
Tyler Walker
Last of all, the marquee signing of the summer in many people’s eyes, Tyler Walker. There was an element of risk attached to his capture, a risk that came home to roost, sadly. It’s not expected we’ll see him before the 2024/25 season.
“At best (end of season). Yeah, for Tyler, at best, we’re supporting him.
“We’re trying to get him through, but he’s still long-term.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.