Cardiff City handed key injury boost after initial ‘rupture’ fears

Cardiff City have received some good news that you may have missed in the lead up to Saturday’s FA Cup drubbing at the hands of Sheffield Wednesday. Karlan Grant limped off during a defeat to Leicester City recently, with the West Brom loan star clutching his hamstring before going down sharply.

Grant is Cardiff’s second top scorer this season with four, just one behind Kion Etete, and there was immediate concern over his injury. Erol Bulut said after the game: “It’s a hamstring, maybe a rupture. Tomorrow we will know more, when he has the scan. It doesn’t look good.”

But in a fresh boost for the Bluebirds, it seems Grant’s injury is not as bad as first feared, and there is hope he could return in the coming weeks, rather than months. With Bulut ill, his assistant Nicolaos Karydas took the pre-match press conference ahead of the FA Cup clash, and he said: “I can say that it is not serious.”

That could be a giant boost for Cardiff, who already find themselves needing to add one striker this month in their bid to bridge the gap between themselves and the playoffs. A ruptured hamstring could have sidelined Grant for months, leaving the Bluebirds short at the top end of the pitch.

It will now be hoped Grant can return in late January or early February, while City are also working on bringing in a new frontman, with former striker Kieffer Moore being heavily linked, though competition is rife for the out of favour Bournemouth target man.