Coventry City visit Darren Moore’s Huddersfield Town in the Championship on Monday evening, but one of the greatest problems for the hosts is who will fill in for injured Dutch defender Milan Van Ewijk.
The 23-year-old sustained a muscle tear in last Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to Cardiff City, becoming the club’s second injury victim since the international break after Ben Sheaf’s groyne injury.
After a hectic summer transfer window that saw the club virtually completely rebuild its roster, Mark Robins’ team has had a difficult start to the season. Coventry City have gained lots of skill in a variety of areas after the exits of Viktor Gyokeres and Gustavo Hamer, but have only won one of their first seven league games.
This came during a 3-0 triumph against Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough, but the Sky Blues have now gone winless in their past five games, drawing four in a row prior to the setback in South Wales, despite top-scorer Matt Godden’s brace.
However, during the encounter against Cardiff City, Dutch full-back Milan Van Ewijk was replaced by Japanese international Tatushiro Sakamoto barely eight minutes into the second half after sustaining a muscle injury. Manager Mark Robins neglected to offer fans with an early update after the final whistle, but 48 hours later, Robins informed the club website…
“Things aren’t looking good. He has a large rip in his quad. We don’t sure how long he’ll be out, and he’s not experiencing many symptoms, but the scan indicates a substantial rupture in his quad.
“We are still waiting for that report to be read by the radiologist but it does not look good.”
Let us investigate.
Mr. Josh Eccles
Josh Eccles, a Sky Blues academy alumnus and first-team regular, is the most likely replacement for Van Ewijk. So far this season, the midfielder has formed a great relationship with Ben Sheaf, standing in for Gustavo Hamer.
Eccles, on the other hand, played much of last season at right wing-back until January signing Brooke Norton-Cuffy came at the CBS Arena. Despite Sheaf’s injury, the return of Jamie Allen may allow Eccles to go to right wing-back, with captain Liam Kelly remaining in midfield.
Sakamoto, Tatushiro
The Japanese international replaced Van Ewijk against Cardiff City and played the whole pre-season in that role, shining against MK Dons and Forest Green Rovers.
Sakamoto, on the other hand, failed to stop Karlan Grant from scoring last time out after going the wrong side of his man while attempting to win a header, and is likely more suited as a winger or offensive midfielder rather than a full-back.
Latibeaudiere, Joel
Joel Latibeaudiere, a Jamaican international, has enjoyed a successful start to his career with the Sky Blues, having previously played as a right wing-back/full-back for Swansea City in the Championship.
According to Pete O’Rourke, Latibeaudiere has played the most minutes of any outfielder in England this season, and given that deadline day signing Liam Kitching made his debut against Cardiff City, Mark Robins may consider moving the defender out wide during Monday’s Championship clash.
Dasilva, Jay
Despite his strong start as a left wing-back, Jay Dasilva is the like-for-like replacement for Van Ewijk, with Jake Bidwell reverting to the starting eleven on the left, albeit this is unlikely to be an acceptable choice for Mark Robins.
Dasilva has had a strong start to his Sky Blues career, although he has only made 10 appearances on the other side of the ball. Although this is a compelling possibility, Mark Robins is unlikely to consider it.
