Cardiff City insider details 'massive' injury boost ahead of Sunderland game

Sunderland Echo

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00:00No, I've said all that, yeah.

00:02You mentioned Aaron Ramsey being back from injury.

00:05How important could he be for Cardiff in the running with, obviously,

00:09fighting at a relegation bottom?

00:11I think it could be massive.

00:13I think even when he joined, you know, most fans taking emotion out of it

00:18and, you know, the golden boy coming back to his boyhood club,

00:24they knew that with his injury record, he wasn't going to play 30, 40 games a season.

00:28But I don't think they're expecting him to be absent as much as he has.

00:33He's barely played this season at all.

00:36I don't think he's even to double figures yet, certainly not for starts.

00:41And Rhys has said that, you know, he's not at a point now in his career,

00:46perhaps ever again, where he can play Saturday, Tuesday and repeat it.

00:50So they're trying to wrap him up in Cottonwall best as they can.

00:54So he'll mainly play Saturday to Saturday

00:57and usually will only last an hour to 70 minutes if they can help it.

01:01But what you do find is that he's just got these moments of quality

01:05that he can still call on.

01:06So I did the game against Bristol City a few weeks ago

01:09and it was just when he was coming back

01:12and it looked like Bristol City were going to hold on for a 1-0 win,

01:16even though Cardiff had had arguably more of the game.

01:19Ramsey comes on, Bristol City are sat deep,

01:21but he's that one player who can unlock the defence with a through ball

01:25and eventually leads to the equaliser.

01:27So he will be important, I think.

01:29They're not reliant on him because they know that he's fit so rarely,

01:33but when he is available, I think he's a potential difference maker.

01:36And sometimes you have to, you know, kind of pinch yourself,

01:40like you've got a fighting relegation in the championship

01:42and you're bringing on Aaron Ramsey for little 20 minute cameos.

01:46So yeah, perhaps he could be the difference.

01:49And yeah, I think the squad in general,

01:51there's enough quality there to see it clear,

01:54but it's just such a dogfight at the moment down there.

01:57Yeah, absolutely.

01:57And how are Cardiff City looking otherwise

01:59in terms of injuries heading into the Sunderland game?

02:02They have been pretty unlucky with injuries recently,

02:06especially in defence.

02:07They've been short of centre-backs there.

02:11So the likes of Jesper Dahland, he's been injured.

02:17They've had injuries in midfield as well.

02:20People like David Turnbull, their long-term absentees,

02:23and then the likes of Callum Robinson and Will Alves

02:26have been out with these little niggles.

02:28So it feels like Rhys has never really had

02:31a fully fit squad to choose from.

02:34They've had a couple of suspensions recently as well.

02:36And the goalkeeper, Jack Arnick, he's out for the season now.

02:40So Ethan Horvath's been deputising for him.

02:43So it does feel like something's hit them

02:49just at the wrong moment at different points this season.

02:51So it's a little bit patched up in places,

02:55but not ravaged by injury like they were, say,

02:59around Christmas, January time.

03:01So yeah, a few injury concerns,

03:03but not as bad as it's been at points this season.

03:06I forgot about Jack Arnick, actually.

03:08He's ex-Sunderland youth teamer,

03:09ex-Newcastle United youth teamer.

03:11His brother, Ben, played for Sunderland.

03:13That feels like a big blow, actually,

03:15because I remember speaking to my dad and brother about that,

03:17and they were really, really impressed with Jack Arnick.

03:20And when he was dropped by Bullock,

03:21they were pretty annoyed.

03:23Yeah, yeah.

03:24I remember his brother playing for Sunderland, actually.

03:27And Jack Arnick himself, he's been an excellent signing.

03:32I think they brought him in initially two or three years ago

03:36as someone to probably play backup.

03:39But he's not just played really well,

03:42but he's a really popular figure at the club as well.

03:44He's actually been captain quite a lot this season.

03:46And he's had a really good season.

03:49I think I and most fans and other media

03:53probably thought that he was harshly treated

03:55to lose his place under Bullock.

03:58Horvath then made quite a few big mistakes.

04:01And since Arnick's come back in, he's never looked back, really.

04:04And he's had a really good season.

04:07So yeah, losing him was a blow,

04:09although Horvath so far hasn't dropped the clangers

04:13that he did previously.

04:15So it's not been as big a blow as it might have been.

04:19Yeah, but definitely a popular figure

04:21and just signed a new contract as well, Arnick.

04:23So hopefully you'll see him next season

04:26in a championship fixture.

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