What Brian Barry-Murphy has said about mysterious Alex Robertson, Cardiff City situation | OneFootball

Cardiff City boss Brian Barry-Murphy has explained Alex Robertson's absence from recent games despite his recovery from injury.

Cardiff City boss Brian Barry-Murphy has revealed that Alex Robertson must improve his ‘intensity’ in training as he looks to force his way back into the XI.

The midfielder joined the Bluebirds last summer from Manchester City in a deal that was considered a coup for the club, and he was one of few positives for the Welsh side as they were relegated from the Championship last time out.

Though consistency perhaps tailed off for Robertson during the latter stages of the previous season, he was often a star performer in the Welsh capital and finished the campaign with three goals and three assists apiece from 35 league appearances.

A seemingly-innocuous shin injury sustained from a heavy challenge in Cardiff's pre-season fixture away at Notts County in late July ruled Robertson out of contention for the start of the League One campaign, and he subsequently suffered a separate hamstring issue.

The 22-year-old has recently returned from injury and is back fully fit, at least in the truest sense, although he is yet to make a matchday squad under Barry-Murphy, whom he previously worked with at Man City's academy. The situation has been a source of mystery for Cardiff supporters as of late, and Barry-Murphy has now lifted the lid on Robertson's absence.

Brian Barry-Murphy demands more from Alex Robertson at Cardiff City

Barry-Murphy was quizzed on Robertson’s absence from the squad ahead of the weekend trip to Wigan Athletic , and the boss told the BBC that the player must raise his level to get up to speed with his teammates.

“He's back in full training and he has to show that he's ready to compete with the other players and, at the moment, he's not, based on a number of factors," the Irishman explained.

"He obviously got injured in the last game of pre-season, and he's back in full training also, so he will be available once he reaches that level of intensity that's required in the group.

“But it's good news he's pain-free and in full training and ready to compete. For every member of our squad, there's a level of intensity required to compete for a place in the team, and Alex isn't at that level yet based on the volume of training he's had.”

It had been thought that Robertson could return for the 3-1 loss at home to Bradford on Saturday, but he wasn't in the squad, whilst he was also absent for the impressive League Cup victory at Burnley earlier in the week.

Alex Robertson can still have a big role to play for Cardiff City this season

Robertson’s injury came at the wrong time for him, as, like the rest of his teammates, he would’ve been excited about the new season, and he would have wanted to impress Barry-Murphy in the league games. But, these things happen in football, and Robertson is now playing catch-up.

You can understand Barry-Murphy’s comments here, as he placed high demands on his players in terms of the work they do off the ball, and Robertson isn’t hitting those levels just yet.

Again, this is to be expected after his injury, but it demonstrates the high standards that the new boss has brought in, and he will not use Robertson until he is ready to make his mark on the team.

However, you can be sure the Australian-born midfielder is working hard to match the intensity that Barry-Murphy wants, and it’s a very long season for Cardiff.

He will face stiff competition from the likes of Joel Colwill, David Turnbull and Ryan Wintle, who have all sufficiently impressed in Robertson's absence, but the classy operator was a cut above in League One during a previous loan stint at Portsmouth and possesses the quality in abundance to reinstate himself as a crucial cog in the Welsh capital as the season goes on.

So, Robertson can still have a big role to play in this campaign, which Cardiff hope will end up in promotion back to the Championship.