Aaron Ramsey has been ruled out of Cardiff City’s next three games and is a major doubt for Wales’ crunch Euro 2024 qualifier against Croatia after picking up an injury in his knee.
The Bluebirds playmaker, 32, has missed the last three Cardiff matches, including the loss to Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday night, with an injury, but it was hoped he would be back for the game against Rotherham United this weekend. However, manager Erol Bulut has revealed the Wales captain suffered an injury on the training ground on Monday and the club are nervously awaiting scans, hoping an operation won’t be required.
“With Aaron Ramsey, two days ago, in training, he got an injury,” Bulut said. “I have the report from our medical department that he will not be available to us for three weeks. Something with his tendon in his knee, the same knee he had an operation many years ago. Whether it’s a rupture or not, there will be a final check to see what the situation is.
“I hope we can have him back after the international break. But we are waiting for news on that.
“It was a turn or a change of direction to make a run. He was feeling pain behind his knee. They scanned and we are still waiting. It might be a rupture of a tendon. His right knee. I hope it’s not an operation, we have to avoid an operation and we will try to get it healed without an operation.”
Clearly it’s a massive loss for Cardiff, with Ramsey having started life back in the Welsh capital so brilliantly with three goals in his six appearances to date, and potentially Wales, with their huge match at Cardiff City Stadium against Croatia just over two weeks away.
Rob Page’s side, realistically, need to get at least a point from that match and it is conceivable that the Wales boss could be without his captain for the clash with the Croats. However, when asked, Bulut was unsure whether the injury would definitely keep him out of the international matches for Wales as he awaits results.
Wales kept their faint hopes of automatic qualification alive when a Ramsey penalty downed Latvia in the September international break, but Page’s side still sitting in fourth, level on points with Armenia but three behind Croatia and Turkey. They still have to play all three before the qualification campaign is over. However, they do have a play-off route to Germany next year if they don’t finish in the top two of Group D.
Either way, Bluebirds boss Bulut knows Ramsey won’t be available for the games against Rotherham, Middlesbrough and Watford before that international break commences. But the City manager said it presents an opportunity for others to take. To get the latest Bluebirds news sent straight to your inbox, sign up here.
“We will miss him, for sure,” Bulut said. “When we can see the last game against Sunderland, we did a great job and worked really hard against the ball. But with the ball, we need a player like Ramsey. He can link the game. We have to take it as it is right now and the players we have will do their best to make that position good in the next few games.
“All the players have to be ready. It’s time for other players to show themselves when they get the shirt to be in the first XI that we are not missing Ramsey. He is an important player for us. He was feeling the last few weeks really good and was in good shape physically and mentally. Now to hear this with the injury is not nice. We have already got a few players injured like Josh Bowler and Callum O’Dowda.”
Cardiff boss Bulut said he hopes to have Josh Bowler back next week, but the winger would not be back in time for the Millers game on Saturday. Callum O’Dowda remains a couple of weeks away from full fitness, however.
Leave a Reply