Bristol City manager Gerhard Struber has disclosed that Max Bird’s calf injury, which has already kept him out since September, may force him to miss more time than the club had intended.
The former Derby County player was instrumental in the Robins’ promotion to the play-offs last season under Liam Manning, and he has begun to play an important role under Struber this season.
Bird’s last outing for Bristol City was against Sheffield Wednesday nearly three months ago, when he sustained a calf injury.
Gerhard Struber delivers the newest Max Bird injury information.
Given the length of the layoff, Bristol City would have preferred to have Bird back as they prepare for the busy holiday season.
However, in a troubling update, Struber told Bristol Live that the midfielder is in talks with professionals about the issue, but he declined to provide a precise schedule for when Bird will return.
“At the time, not completely ready. Also, he’s in exchange with one or more specialists, and we want to give him the time he needs so that when he returns, he’s completely prepared. We don’t want to apply too much pressure in this direction.
“He needs this time to recover from his injuries, therefore we gave him this time for the next few weeks. Hopefully, he will be back soon. Everyone understands we’d need him right away, but his injury doesn’t offer us that chance.”
Bristol City fans expressed dissatisfaction with the current situation, urging the team to recruit a new midfielder during the January transfer window.
Another supporter questioned whether the team has a ‘deeper problem’ with injuries.
This admirer repeated the necessity to go into the market next month while also expressing sympathy for Bird, given how dissatisfied he will be with the situation.
This supporter was likewise dissatisfied with the injury record at Ashton Gate.
That was a prevalent gripe among supporters, who were understandably annoyed by Bird’s absence.
Bristol City need to seek midfield reinforcements in January.
First and foremost, this is a setback for Bird, who will be devastated that he is out at such a critical time in the season.
However, the club has clearly not gotten to the bottom of the problem, so Struber’s statement is correct in the sense that he is exercising prudence and does not want to rush him back.
Meanwhile, Bristol City is in a difficult situation, and their recent uneven record has come at a time when the team has been put to the test. So, the January window has arrived at the perfect time, and it will be interesting to see what business the Robins do when the market opens.
With doubts about Bird’s fitness and the fact that he won’t have played in months, you’d expect a midfielder to swiftly become a priority for the recruitment team as Bristol City attempt to maintain a real drive for the playoffs.
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