Why Bristol City must strive to manage expectations regarding key man despite positive update: Comment Bristol City midfielder Korey Smith made his long-awaited return from injury for the Under-23s side on Monday afternoon during a 2-2 draw with their Cardiff counterparts. The 27-year-old has not featured for Lee Johnson’s side since their clash with Reading back in April, while he has managed to play just 146 minutes of action since initially suffering ligament damage in August 2018. However, it now appears the former Norwich man is firmly on the road to recovery following his 71-minute outing against the Bluebirds, and he came through the match unscathed as he took a significant step forward on his comeback trail. This is a hugely encouraging sign for the Robins given that Smith has been such an important player for the Ashton Gate outfit since joining the club in 2014, and he may even feel like a new addition to the squad when he eventually returns to full fitness. His return would give Johnson a wide array of midfield options with Adam Nagy also making his comeback recently to add to the likes of Josh Brownhill, Han-Noah Massengo, Callum O’Dowda and Kasey Palmer in the middle of the pitch. The prospect of Smith joining this talented group of players will come as an exciting prospect for the Robins, but it is also important that the midfielder is not rushed back to fitness given the extent of his recent problems. It would be a really damaging blow if Smith was to suffer another injury after being rushed back to fitness, and Bristol City should be aiming to ease him back into the first-team fold after the international break despite this recent positive leap forward. Most Bristol City fans would also be satisfied with this course of action seeing as they already have adequate midfield depth as long as there are no further injuries, so it would definitely be their preference to only see Smith return when he is ready. This may potentially involve the former Oldham star only featuring regularly for the Robins after the turn of the year, but this would still give him plenty of time to contribute to City’s promotion push in the second half of the campaign. The midfielder is certainly ahead of schedule in his recovery from a nasty injury blow, but it is crucial the club control expectations regarding his potential return, as this will now be when he is most vulnerable to suffering another setback. However, it does seem likely that Bristol City will have learned from their past experiences with Smith, and this means his comeback should be appropriately managed by the club. https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/w...ding-key-man-despite-positive-update-comment/
'This may potentially involve the former Oldham star only featuring regularly for the Robins after the turn of the year, but this would still give him plenty of time to contribute to City’s promotion push in the second half of the campaign' I would rather we bring him back slow and utilise him for the big, promised promotion push during the second half of the season fit and strong, it would be like an additional signing.
catch 22 give him a few games at u23 can be as damaging as playing Championship as players u23 are less 2experienced2 and can be a bit untidy in tackles and the suchlike. possibly have him as a super sub for a few games maybe first half and sub after 60? I think subbing after 60 would mean he is not fully warmed up! especially at this cool time of the year!
With Nagy now back, no need to rush Korey. To have them both fit and firing for the Christmas New Year fixtures should be the aim. That allows Han, Josh CoD and Kasey to be rotated and save on burn out.
Nagy looked ‘rusty’ on Sunday - I was surprised LJ didn’t replace him - but we won and that’s the main thing. I agree we mustn’t rush things with Smith though - and I expect him to be ‘rusty’ too at first.
I just hope that whenever Korey comes back, he does so as the player he was, and that he hasn't been too badly affected by his lengthy lay off.
