Robertson 'could play big part', says Barry-Murphy

Alex Robertson played for England at youth level but has two senior caps for Australia

Cardiff City midfielder Alex Robertson "could play a big part this season" despite being frozen out so far, says head coach Brian Barry-Murphy.

Robertson was a first-team regular as the Bluebirds were relegated from the Championship last season, but has yet to play a single minute in this campaign for the League One leaders.

The 22-year-old missed the first few games with a leg injury sustained during pre-season and, despite being available for selection for more than a month, the Australian has been repeatedly left out of Cardiff's matchday squads.

Barry-Murphy has previously said Robertson needed to match the "intensity" of his fellow midfielders to regain his place in the team.

"He's had a full week of training, so he's doing really well and progressing in the way that I want from him," said Barry-Murphy. "So he's going to train today and then be available like all the rest of the players.

"He's in a much better condition physically and the training that I've seen from him recently has been very positive.

"I made it really clear to Alex what I expect from him, and now he's starting to meet those expectations because I know he can do it.

"If I didn't think he could do it, I wouldn't make those demands on him, like all other players. So I'm very pleased where he is now and, hopefully, he could play a big part in this season once he reaches the levels I know he can."

Robertson's absence has been a big talking point for Cardiff fans, who have been perplexed as to why a player who cost the club a seven-figure fee when he joined from Manchester City in the summer of 2024 has not been used.

He was in Australia's squad for their friendly matches in the United States and Canada earlier this month, but did not feature in either game.

"I think it's fine for the supporters to talk about him in whatever way they want," said Barry-Murphy.

"Alex is somebody who I know really well from long before he was at this club [when Barry-Murphy coached Manchester City Under-21s], so all I want for all the players is to be at their best.

"My duty is then to get them into that condition where they can compete against each other. But I have to be very fair and consistent in the way that I judge all the squad once they reach that level.

"That's the same for Alex as it is for everybody else. If he was in the shoes of the other players, he'd want the exact same thing."

Meanwhile, centre-back Dylan Lawlor could be back for Saturday's League One trip to Bolton Wanderers having missed last Saturday's 2-1 win over Reading with a groin injury.

Fellow centre-back Will Fish is also managing a knee issue, which limited him to 45 minutes against the Royals last weekend.

"Will Fish has an ongoing knee issue which is getting better, particularly when he hits longer passes," said Barry-Murphy.

"He's had some discomfort in his knee. But the amount of discomfort is getting less and less, so he's making good progress.

"Dylan has had a good week of training so far. I think it's important that he can do certain things that we want from later on this afternoon [Thursday] when we train, and then hopefully he can be available for Saturday."