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