Cardiff City boss sends brutal message to former Portsmouth loanee Alex Robertson as surprise absence explained
Former Pompey loanee Alex Robertson has failed to appear for Cardiff City in League One this season.
Alex Robertson ‘has to do more’ to break into Cardiff City's League One side.
That’s the no-nonsense message from head coach Brian Barry Murphy, who has made it clear the midfielder has to ‘reach a certain level’ before being considered for a return.
The 22-year-old has had a tough start to the season, having failed to register a single appearance in all competitions to date.
Although Robertson missed the opening weeks of the season with injury, the Aussie talent has still to be named in any of Cardiff’s league or cup squads this term.
There was talk of a potential departure in the summer following the Bluebirds’ relegation from the Championship, with The News reporting that the former Fratton loanee would welcome a return to PO4.
While a move never came to fruition, the ex-Manchester City academy graduate remained in South Wales but is now enduring a tough start back in League One.
And Robertson has been sent a clear message by Barry-Murphy, who has made it clear the midfielder has to do more in training to earn a potential recall to the side.
Cardiff boss takes brutal aim at Alex Robertson
Speaking to WalesOnline, the Cardiff boss said: ‘Alex is in full training and training with the rest of the players. He's building up his volume of training now, but he just has to do more to be competitive in a squad of this nature.
‘It just means, in the squad, the level of training, as we reference so many times, is of the highest level and we have to get to that level every single individual player.
‘So if you look at the squad on Tuesday night, Dak Mafico wasn't in the squad, Tanatswa (Nyakuhwa) was, Isaak wasn't based on what he's done.
‘So before we can judge players on ability, you have to reach a certain level of intensity where it's a level playing field.
‘We can't have a presumption of seniority or players having an elevated status based on what they've done before.
‘All the players should be treated equally all the time and that can change any course of the season based on any circumstances.’
Alex Robertson’s summer situation
There was summer talk of a potential exit from the Welsh capital in the summer, with a number of Championship clubs also keeping tabs on his situation.
Robertson remained put at the Cardiff City Stadium and featured heavily in pre-season before missing the start of the campaign after requiring stitches in the final friendly of the summer.
Despite returning to full training, he continues to be left out of the Bluebirds’ League One side, but has earned a surprise recall to Tony Popovic’s Socceroos squad for the upcoming international break.
After snubbing Pompey to make the move to Cardiff in August 2024, the midfielder has registered 39 appearances in all competitions in South Wales and still has three-years remaining on his current terms.