It’s good to be back, says Nagy, after one ‘hell of a summer’
ADAM Nagy is delighted to be back among the Bristol City squad after one “hell of a summer” in which the midfielder starred for Hungary at Euro 2020 and welcomed his son into the world.
Nagy reported back for Robins duty at the end of last week after a fortnight break in the wake of the Magyars’ elimination at the first stage, after coming so close to qualifying from a group containing France, Germany and Portugal.
Now back in the red of City and being put through his paces at Loughborough University, the midfield accepts he’ll need around a week before he’s at the same level of fitness as his team-mates.
That could mean he doesn’t play a part, or is given a reduced role in today’s friendly against Portsmouth with City then hosting MK Dons on Saturday.
“It’s good to be back with the boys,” said Nagy. “A training camp and pre-season is always hard. I had about two weeks off so I’m feeling a little bit heavy, so it’s the first week I’ll have to get through and then I’ll be alright.
“It’s something the players are going to feel during the season. Now we are swearing during the training session as we push our limits but in a couple of weeks time we will feel the benefit.”
The 25-year-old started all three of Hungary’s matches in the tournament, impressing in each one, and admits while they didn’t achieve progress in the tournament they still made the country proud.
It was a special and iconic tournament for Nagy beyond what happened on the field as in the buildup to Euro 2020 kicking off he and his partner Agnes celebrated the birth of their baby son Vencel.
“That was a hell of a summer, I don’t think we could have asked for more,” Nagy added. “We achieved something our whole nation is proud of and a week before it started our son Vencel is born, so we are really, really excited about this new chapter and I can’t wait to fly them over here to Bristol.”
Nagy’s reintroduction into the squad is an intriguing one for City as Nigel Pearson now possesses a loaded central midfield area with new signings Andy King and Matty James alongside Tyreeq Bakinson, Joe Williams, Han-Noah Massengo and James Morton plus utility man Zak Vyner.
With Pearson admitting he needs to sell before he can buy any more players, with a striker top of his wishlist, plus reduce the wage bill,
that area of the pitch looks the most expendable with the greatest value in terms of saleable assets.
After an injury-plagued debut campaign for the Robins in which he also struggled to settle in Bristol, Nagy made 35 appearances in all competitions last term under Dean Holden and Pearson.
On the one hand, Nagy, with one year remaining on his deal plus a 12-month option, is a potential outgoing given his reputation across Europe and enhanced status following Euro 2020. Russian side CSKA Moscow were linked with a loan move in January.
But, on the other, he is precisely the sort of all-action midfielder Pearson loves who does bring considerable expertise and control in possession to the midfield.
It’s a situation not dissimilar to the one faced by Dean Holden last summer when he had a similarly large complement of midfielders and, on that occasion, Joe Morrell was sold to Luton Town.
Meanwhile, injured City duo Antoine Semenyo and Robbie Cundy have been pictured undergoing weight training at Loughborough with the pair both recovering from knee injuries. Semenyo underwent routine meniscus surgery at the end of the 2020-21 campaign, and while his initial return was expected to be around early July, the 21-year-old forward is more likely to be match-ready in August. Centre-back Cundy is yet to make a first-team appearance for City but enjoyed a positive loan spell at Gillingham last season.