He’s no ordinary Joe... but injury for Bennett has come at bad time
WILL ACL RECOVERY HARM BENNETT DEAL HOPES?
IT was the perfect 10 for Mick McCarthy’s Cardiff City last Tuesday. Ten games, seven wins, three draws with a thumping 4-0 victory over Derby County in the bag.
It was all looking so rosy. Except, of course, for the horrendous injury sustained by Joe Bennett.
As we all know, football is a fickle industry; one minute you are riding the crest of a wave and the next you are crashing into the rocks, it’s the nature of the beast.
There is a reason why Bennett has been first-choice left-back under Neil Warnock, Neil Harris and McCarthy.
Yes, he has endured dips in form over the last 18 months, but what player hasn’t?
This season, and the last few months in particular, Bennett looked rejuvenated and somewhere back near to his best.
While it was noted that the change is system had helped the likes of Aden Flint, Perry Ng, the central midfielders, Josh Murphy, Leandro Bacuna, Sheyi Ojo and even Kieffer Moore, Bennett was quietly enjoying a consistently good spell over on that left flank.
Because this system suits him down to the ground.
If there was one criticism fans levelled at the left-back, it was perhaps that he has his limitations defensively. But as an attacking left back he certainly holds his own in this division. So, the switch to left wing-back was right in his wheelhouse and he was beginning to flourish once again.
Emboldened by the added cover in behind him, we saw the Bennett of old; marauding down the left flank, creating overlaps and whipping in crosses. We even saw him pop up at the back post against Rotherham to net a dramatic late winner.
This all came after WalesOnline learned that he had begun contract talks with the club back in January over a new deal.
He is out of contract this summer and he and Junior Hoilett were two players of whom Harris thought very highly and the club had started initial discussions over fresh terms.
Fast-forward a couple of months and the situation remains the same.
Although there is one big change, Bennett has an ACL injury and has to undergo an operation to remedy the damage.
As with all these big ACL operations, the best-case scenario could see Bennett return within six months, the more likely timeline, though, is closer to eight or nine months. That puts him in a somewhat precarious position, with his contract expiring upon the end of this season.
Few would argue that Bennett, who turns 31 this month, is not a top operator at this level.
Indeed, automatic-promotionchasing Watford enquired about taking him last summer.
But he is settled in Cardiff and over the course of five seasons has endeared himself to a large proportion of the City fan base. He has 177 games for the Bluebirds under his belt and boasts a promotion-winning medal.
Following Harris’ squad overhaul, that promotion know-how is thin on the ground in this squad. Only Sean Morrison, Hoilett, Joe Ralls, Sol Bamba and Bennett remain. Three of those are out of contract this summer, too.
There is merit to the thought process of chopping the average age of the squad and cutting the dead wood, of course. But there is something to be said for experience, too, especially in the unrelenting battleground that is a Championship campaign. Bennett has that experience. There is hope for young Joel Bagan, who frustratingly suffered a dislocated shoulder against Huddersfield last Friday night after it looked as though he would get a big run in the team. He is 19 and many insiders believe he is the future, but at such a tender age he cannot be expected to carry the bucket load for an entire season.
Bennett has more than shown himself to be a more than capable full-back and will be important in nurturing Bagan’s development, too.
There will be hope for Bennett, though, after McCarthy’s future was secured last week. The manager has already spoken very highly of him, calling him a “good player” and “vastly experienced”