Bradford City reaction given to Nick Powell situation - "I do feel sorry for him" | OneFootball

The experienced midfielder is set to be sidelined for the remainder of 2025

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

It has been an impressive return to League One for Bradford City, who are currently positioned inside the top six just months after ending a six-year exile from the division.

Under the management of Graham Alexander, the Bantams have defied the expectations of many, albeit the West Yorkshire side weren't tipped for a season of struggle after gaining promotion from League Two on the final day of the season in dramatic fashion.

The former Fleetwood Town boss has plenty of experience at League One level to call upon, as well as momentum clearly being on the club's side, instantly becoming one of the clubs with former Premier League pedigree in the third tier, alongside the likes of local rivals, Huddersfield Town.

Even prior to the summer transfer window, Alexander had a raft of experienced figures amongst his ranks, including the attacking and creative duo of Antoni Sarcevic and Andy Cook.

However, they were added to by a plethora of signings, such as Max Power, who was immediately appointed as the club's latest skipper following Richie Smallwood's departure, alongside seasoned campaigners at League One or Championship level in the form of Matthew Pennington, Stephen Humphreys, Tom McIntyre and attacking midfielder, Nick Powell.

However, what has been the story of Powell's career has continued at Valley Parade less than three months after signing, with it being reported that the 31-year-old will be sidelined until at least January.

As such, Football League World's Bradford City fan pundit, Boris Thomson, questions whether the former Manchester United man will make much of an impact upon his return.

Nick Powell's future Bradford City impact questioned amid injury developments

Powell joined the League One newcomers after seeing his contract with Stockport County terminated in August after two seasons at Edgeley Park, in which he made just 45 appearances, scoring four times.

Despite aforementioned injury issues, there was hope that the two-time England Under-21 international would further bolster Alexander's attack, which has already scored a league-high 23 goals in 14 games.

However, after just six appearances, the Crewe-born man suffered a hamstring blow that will keep him sidelined for a prolonged period, leaving Thomson to question whether he will be able to have the desired impact in the second half of the campaign, with his deal reportedly up at the end of the season.

"The whole situation with Nick Powell is difficult," he told FLW.

"When he came in, I was really looking forward to seeing him play. He's a quality player," Thomson added.

"Everybody knows that he's been haunted by injuries throughout his career. I spoke to some friends who are Stockport fans, and they said 'great, if you can keep him fit for more than four games'.

"I saw him live once, and now he's out (for the rest of the year). What I saw of him, he looked great. It's just a shame, because he's clearly a better player than the standard he's playing at," our fan pundit claimed.

"He's just been held back throughout his career by fitness issues. At his age, if he doesn't have a revolution in his fitness, I can't see him making much of an impact for us, or any team in the EFL really.

"It's a real shame, because he's clearly a talented footballer," Thomson stated. "We've seen players come through, like him, in the past, who are just so unlucky with injuries. Jack Wilshere springs to mind, a quality player but he was always injured.

"He's out for the rest of the year. So, maybe next season, we'll see more of him if we keep him on, but who knows?

"I don't know who'd buy him off us, so maybe he'll stay for the rest of his contract. I do feel sorry for him, but we'll have to see how it goes," he said.

Bradford City injury is a familiar sorry tale for Nick Powell

As our fan pundit alluded to, Powell's once-promising career has been constantly blighted by injuries, with his current situation with Bradford summing such predicaments up.

After bursting onto the scene with Crewe Alexandra, which included a stunning strike against Cheltenham Town in the League Two play-off final of 2011/12, the attacking playmaker caught the eye of none other than Sir Alex Ferguson, who parted with at least £3m to lure the then-18-year-old to Old Trafford.

However, that feels like, and was a long, long time ago, with the playmaker best known for a four-year stint at Stoke City in the Championship between 2019 and 2023.

It is a shame that one of the country's previously most highly-rated prospects has suffered such misfortunes, but there are several cases of this within the modern game.

By the time he returns from injury, the experienced head could still have a say in the Bantams' unexpected play-off bid, and in turn, earn himself a new deal.