Sam Bell has featured in all 33 of Bristol City’s Championship matches in 2023/24
Sam Bell, a forward for Bristol City, will miss the remainder of the season due to a “really bad” hamstring injury. Head coach Liam Manning has confirmed this. Bell is an England Under-20 international.
In the 26th minute of last Saturday’s match against QPR, Bell pulled up as he turned to rapidly pursue a pass forward. He went down the tunnel right away, and a scan later that day revealed a large tear in the tendon. This indicates that he will probably take at least three months to recover, with surgery scheduled for the upcoming weeks.
It’s a devastating loss for the Bristolian, who under Manning and predecessor Nigel Pearson established himself as a reliable starter, making 33 Championship games (23 in the starting XI) and scored five goals.
The 21-year-old’s past two weeks have been hectic as well; after missing a penalty in the FA Cup shootout loss to Nottingham Forest, he scored in the thrilling 3-1 victory over Southampton, and a few days later, he was injured against QPR.
“Not good news, unfortunately, he’s picked up a really bad hamstring injury, so he’s going to be out for the rest of the season and is going to require surgery,” Manning stated to Robins TV.
“Truly heartbreaking, he was in a great place. His performance had definitely improved, and he was a great illustration of how much coaching and teaching revolves around being dependable, doing what the team requires, and projecting a positive image both on good and bad days.
His dependability and ability to carry out his duties for the team impressed me, and sometimes focusing too much on one area might cause one’s talents to suffer. However, it has seemed like over the past two to three games, he has begun to regain his talents and traits. I’m quite disappointed in him.
“Obviously, the goal (against Southampton) was a fantastic moment for him, and we were hoping he would go on a run.
“For me, for him, we’re gutted, but at the same point, the age and the stage of his career he’s at, and what we do here is to continue to ensure he learns the game so it’s not out-of-sight, out-of-mind; we’ll sit, we’ll do video, we’ll make sure he continually progresses so that when he does return to training for pre-season he’s in the best place possible.”
In addition to Bell’s competition with Anis Mehmeti, Harry Cornick, and Mark Sykes for a spot on the club during the season, Manning does have options when it comes to wide forward positions. Additionally, a little system adjustment may result from Scott Twine’s return to fitness.
However, following a time of adjustment upon Manning’s arrival, the 21-year-old appeared to have found true consistency in his performances. He is a flexible player in that he can play on either side and, when necessary, feature at wing-back.
“He’s okay, Belly one thing, he’s quite level, he’s quite calm and consistent with how he carries himself,” Manning stated. It’s rather refreshing because he approaches studying, reading, and life differently. He also recognises that suffering injuries is a common occurrence in the field.
“He has a great support system around him in his dad, everyone here, and the people he knows, and he will need that. Over the coming months, I’m sure he will have difficult times, but our goal as a team is to support him.”
The news of Bell’s injury came one week after Rob Atkinson, who was playing for the Under-21s against Cardiff City, also suffered a hamstring injury that would keep him out of action for the remainder of 2023–2024. The centre back was on the verge of a return but hasn’t played for the first team since February of last year due to an ACL injury.
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