Frozen out former Portsmouth favourite makes Cardiff return as prediction made
Former Pompey favourite Alex Robertson made his first appearance for Cardiff on Saturday as he was wlecomed back into the first-team fold
Alex Robertson has been told he can still play an important role for Cardiff City this season - despite the former Pompey loanee making just one appearance for the League One leaders this term.
That rare outing came on Saturday, when Bluebirds boss Brian Barry-Murphy named the 22-year-old in a match-day squad for the first time since his summer appointment and handed him a start in the 1-0 defeat at Bolton Wanderers.
Up until the weekend, the Aussie who started the season with a leg injury - had been frozen out of the first-team picture, with the Cardiff boss brutally telling the former Fratton favourite he had to do more to be considered for selection.
Robertson - who was called up to Tony Popovic’s recent Socceroos squad for their October internationals against USA and Canada regardless of his lack of playing time this season - has clearly responded to that message. His 77-minute against Bolton was his first competitive action since the final day of last season, when the Welsh side were relegated from the Championship.
Now Barry-Murphy is in a position where he believes he can get the best of of the midfielder, who resisted the temptation of a move back to Pompey in the summer of 2024 to make the switch to the Bluebirds.
Alex Robertson earns Cardiff City recall
Speaking in the build-up to the Wanderers game, the Cardiff boss said: ‘He's had a full week of training, so he's doing really well and progressing in the way that I want from him.
‘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.’
Cardiff boss defends original stance on former Pompey favourite
Robertson, who The News understands was open to a return to Fratton Park during the last transfer window, had been a constant topic of conversation among Cardiff fans during his first-team exile.
However, Barry-Murphy, who previously worked with the midfielder at Manchester City, was comfortable with that.
He added: ‘I think it's fine for the supporters to talk about him in whatever way they want.
‘Alex is somebody who I know really well from long before he was at this club , 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.’
Robertson made 23 league appearances for Pompey during the Blues’ 2023-24 League One title success. Although, the then Manchester City loanee sat out the second half of the season because of a hamstring injury.
Last season, following a permanent switch to Cardiff, the midfielder made 35 Championship appearances as the Welsh side finished bottom of the table - five points from safety.
The Bluebirds are currently top of League One on goal difference from Stevenage and Bradford City.
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