Eccles waits on bad news after injury
JOSH Eccles is waiting to see the extent of his injury after being stretchered off on only his seventh Coventry City appearance of the season.
The 22-year-old went to ground in the box after just 30 minutes against Stoke at the weekend when he suffered a hamstring tear that could force him to miss the start of pre-season.
It’s a huge blow for the Academy graduate who has emerged as a serious contender for the right wingback position after a string of outstanding performances in the role.
Although a central midfielder by trade, the Coventry-born player slotted in, coincidentally, against The Potters in January and looked comfortable and confident at the right-hand.
He impressed further against Middlesbrough and Premier League Southampton in the FA Cup when he was picked ahead of Todd Kane, only to suffer ankle ligament damage at St Mary’s which kept him out for almost three months. That came as a major disappointment for the lad who missed the first half of the season with a hip injury that required surgery.
Manager Mark Robins rates
Eccles really highly and clearly sees him as a serious rival to Fankaty Dabo and Kane, such is his talent and potential for a bright future after proving he’s more than capable at Championship level.
“You can see why I started him,” said the City boss, speaking about Saturday’s match at the Bet365 Stadium. “It was a brilliant half an hour from him but he got injured and he’s been injured too often, and that’s something to look at.
“If he can stay fit and get ready for pre-season... I don’t know how long he’s going to be out yet. He may miss a couple of weeks of pre-season depending on how bad this is. It’s a hamstring injury so we have to see what they say once he’s had his scan. But hopefully we’ll get him back because he’s a real talent who can play in several positions.
“He’s a midfield player, but he’s really performing to a high level at wing-back.”