Cardiff City forward Isaak Davies is expected to miss around four weeks with a hamstring injury, adding to the club’s mounting fitness concerns ahead of Wednesday’s Championship fixture against West Ham United.
Head coach Brian Barry-Murphy confirmed the setback as the Bluebirds prepare for the midweek game with a stretched squad. While the Wales international is ruled out against West Ham, the club must also assess several players who picked up issues during Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Fresh fitness concerns after Molineux defeat
Saturday’s loss at Wolves created new doubts over the availability of defenders Will Fish and Perry Ng, as well as midfielder Alex Robertson. All three players missed Monday’s training session.
Fish began feeling discomfort in his hamstring before half-time at Molineux. Cardiff initially kept him on the pitch because they had limited defensive cover and were trying to get back into the match. Barry-Murphy later decided to take him off rather than risk making the injury worse.
Robertson developed an Achilles problem during the same game. Both he and Fish were scheduled for further assessments after missing training on Monday, leaving their involvement against West Ham uncertain.
Ng also sat out Monday’s session after playing through fitness problems on Saturday. However, Barry-Murphy said the defender appeared to be doing better and remained hopeful that he would be ready to feature.
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Defensive shortage forces position changes
The latest knocks have hit a squad that was already short of options in defence. Cardiff travelled to Wolves without injured centre-backs Dylan Lawlor, Calum Chambers and Krystian Bielik, while Gabriel Osho was ruled out through suspension rather than injury.
That shortage forced Barry-Murphy to move several players into unfamiliar roles on Saturday. Ng filled in at centre-back despite struggling with his fitness, midfielder Joel Colwill covered at right-back and winger Ollie Tanner played on the left side of the defence.
Speaking after the defeat, Barry-Murphy said he had previously thought the club would not again have four centre-backs unavailable at the same time. He praised the players who stepped into unfamiliar positions and said they had given everything for the team.
Returning players offer some relief
There was some positive news for Cardiff on the training ground ahead of the West Ham match. Bielik has returned to training, and Barry-Murphy said the defender has a chance of being involved on Wednesday.
The manager was also encouraged by the return of midfielder Rubin Colwill, who came off the bench against Wolves following a spell out injured.
Even with those boosts, Cardiff face a demanding period as they look to respond to Saturday’s defeat. While the latest four-week setback affects the attack rather than the back line, the heavy concentration of problems in defence remains difficult to manage.
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Any further absences, particularly if Fish or Ng miss out, could leave the team short of cover again as Barry-Murphy waits to see which of his doubtful players can return for the coming fixtures.
