Rob Dickie is closing in on a return to the Bristol City starting XI with Liam Manning also singing the praises of George Tanner’s contribution this season.
Liam Manning is confident Rob Dickie will be fit to return to the Bristol City squad for this Saturday’s trip to Norwich City as the centre-back is expected to train at the High Performance Centre from Monday having missed the Robins last three matches.
City have been without Dickie for games against Sunderland, Blackburn Rovers and Huddersfield Town due to a calf injury he sustained at Plymouth Argyle on Easter Monday, while Manning has revealed the defender’s also been dealing with illness and a bout of shingles, but providing he comes through the sessions in Failand, he should return to the matchday squad at Carrow Road.
Dickie’s presence in the squad is a timely one given Zak Vyner’s knee injury which is set to keep him out for around two weeks, while Rob Atkinson and Kal Naismith have been ruled out for the rest of the season leaving Manning with the possibility of no fit senior specialist centre-backs for the remaining three matches of 2023/24.
The 28-year-old has been a consistent and reliable presence at the heart of the Robins defence all season, outside of a brief period across late August and early September where he lost his place due to suspension. A signing from QPR last summer, he is the favourite to be named City’s Player of the Season.
Norwich’s 76 goals make them the joint fourth-highest scoring team in the Championship and the Canaries possess one of the league’s most in-form strikers in American international Josh Sargent, who has 15 goals in 23 matches.
“He was out on the grass on Friday but the fact he’s done one session (meant he was left out against Huddersfield), because he’s had shingles and he was ill the day before Leicester, he’s done hardly anything in the last four weeks so I expect him to train Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and then be available for the weekend,” said Manning of Dickie.
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