Cardiff City’s signed Joe Bennett from Aston Villa in the summer but he’s yet to make his debut for his new club.
Liverpool’s Luis Suarez in action with Aston Villa’s Joe Bennett (R)
Cardiff City completed the signing of Joe Bennett from Aston Villa in the summer but after struggling with a calf injury, he’s yet to make his debut for the club.
The 26-year-old reportedly joined for next-to-nothing and was seen as an exciting capture but injury has kept him out for well over a month – A forgettable start to his time at Cardiff City.
Bennett was signed by Paul Trollope but Neil Warnock has now replaced the former Bristol Rovers boss at the helm.
Paul Trollope signed Bennett before losing his job
The former England under-21 international returned to fitness for the Bluebirds’ last outing, against Burton Albion but a lack of match fitness meant he remained on the bench for the duration.
Bennett is now said to be fit to feature in Cardiff’s home clash against Bristol City on Friday evening but he will have to force Declan John or Jazz Richards out of the starting line-up first.
John started the season impressively but he’s seen his play-time reduced in recent games. Richards has been widely criticised by some fans for his performances but he managed to keep his spot in Paul Trollope’s team.
Home-grown talent Declan John could stand in Bennett’s way
The signing of Bennett was seen as a real coup for Cardiff and it’s easy to see why, he almost joined promotion-hopefuls Sheffield Wednesday in the summer after a successful loan spell but the move was blocked for ‘financial reasons’.
The former Middlesbrough full-back has bags of ability and his attacking threat can cause the opposition real issues. He’s renowned for his technical ability and defensive awareness, and he’s long impressed in the second tier.
Injury has plagued his move to Cardiff in his first month but if Cardiff can get Bennett fit with regular game-time then he may turn into a top signing.
The Bluebirds’ need an answer to their leaky back-line and Bennett could provide just that if given an opportunity.
Aston Villa’s Joe Bennett scores their fifth goal
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