Cardiff City are once again concerned about Dylan Lawlor’s fitness, with Brian Barry-Murphy stating that the precocious defender is awaiting the results of a scan after being hauled out in the first half of the Bluebirds’ 5-1 win against Watford.

Barring Chris Willock’s missed penalty deep into the second half, Lawlor’s injury-enforced substitution was Cardiff’s only major setback in a five-star performance on Tuesday evening, as the hosts returned to winning ways with an impressive rout.

The 20-year-old, who had only made his first start of the season in Cardiff’s 2-1 defeat at Blackburn Rovers over the weekend, suffered a hamstring injury within the opening half-hour of the game, after Jack Moylan’s penalty put Barry-Murphy’s side ahead.

Lawlor received treatment and appeared to be in great difficulty before being replaced by Will Fish, allowing the City defender to make his first Championship game of the season against Watford after suffering a major hernia injury.

Of course, the goals continued to flow after Lawlor left the pitch, with Moylan’s second, an own goal from Matty Pollock, and Ollie Tanner’s strike putting Cardiff four up at the break in an electrifying first-half blitz, before Callum Robinson rounded out the evening with his second in as many games.

However, none of that overshadowed the severity of yet another blow for the young defender, who was widely regarded as one of the country’s most promising talents in his position prior to the start of the season but is now facing another lengthy absence.

Brian Barry-Murphy confirms the concerning Dylan Lawlor update at Cardiff City.

Barry-Murphy, who was justifiably pleased with his side’s exhilarating performance under the lights on Tuesday, revealed more insight into Lawlor’s position and the concern that Cardiff is dealing with by announcing that the Welsh international is scheduled to undergo a scan.

The Irishman has explained that Lawlor’s latest setback is a hamstring injury rather than a repeat of the knee problem that has kept him out of action for the bulk of the current season, with the Bluebirds prospect making only three appearances in 26/27 to yet.

Cardiff will understandably be nervous about the results of that scan, which might mean Lawlor has to spend another difficult period rehabilitating away from the pitch.

WalesOnline journalist Glen Williams confirmed that it was a hamstring injury, with Barry-Murphy stating of Lawlor: “Dylan is going for a scan tomorrow, so we’ll find out the extent of the damage then.

“We’ll just see how he is, and then make an assessment from there.”

Cardiff City and Dylan Lawlor will be dissatisfied with the injury situation.

Both Bluebirds fans and Barry-Murphy were overjoyed when Lawlor made his first appearance as a late substitute in the team’s 3-1 victory over Charlton Athletic before the international break, but it now appears that his momentum has been interrupted.

A scan suggests that Lawlor could be in for a serious setback, and while Cardiff are reasonably well-stocked in defence following Fish’s return and the completion of Krystian Bielik’s two-match suspension ahead of Saturday’s trip to promotion-chasing Middlesbrough, that doesn’t soften the blow too much.

Lawlor is unlikely to play on Teesside, and the duration of his latest absence will be confirmed soon.

Dylan Lawlor’s Cardiff City career stats in all competitions, courtesy FotMob

Season

Appearances and Goals

Assists

2024/25 2 0 0 2025/26 37 2 2 2026/27 3 0 0

Earlier in the season, however, Cardiff felt the full extent of Lawlor’s absence and are now adjusting to life without his services on the field – despite the fact that he remains the club’s most talented defensive option and will be desperate to prove himself in the Championship after excelling at League One level last time out in a breakthrough campaign.

Dylan Lawlor’s injury record may cause Cardiff City transfer worry.

Lawlor’s growing reputation as one of English football’s most gifted and exciting young defenders exacerbates the blow of his latest setback in South Wales, but a shaky injury record since breaking into the club’s first-team may be the reason no major clubs have made a serious move to sign him.

Indeed, he suffered a series of minor ailments when Cardiff won promotion from the third tier last season, during which time the Caerphilly-born ace made 32 league games while missing a handful of others.

An injury sustained in Wales’ 1-1 friendly match with Ghana in June sidelined the 6-cap international for some time, and with heavyweights sniffing about, his recurring issues may be deterring them.

Lawlor was strongly linked with Championship title favourites West Ham over the summer, but bigger clubs have been interested. Previous reports have cited Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur as admirers, alongside the likes of Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

The magnitude of his skill and the height of his ceiling, of course, explain why Europe’s elite have long been expected to make their approaches, but an inability to remain healthy consistently, as well as a mixed injury record at such a young age, will undoubtedly cause concern among interested parties.