Just as Cardiff City midfielder Ebou Adams was nearing his return to the first-team fray, he has endured another injury setback.
Adams, a player who tore up League Two as Forest Green Rovers stormed to promotion last season, was sought after by a number of Championship clubs this summer, but bought into the project at Cardiff and was told he would be one of the key members of this new-look Bluebirds side.
A box-to-box, combative midfielder who added to the attacking side of his game while at Forest Green, many within the club were excited to see what he could do, having jumped up two rungs in the EFL ladder to the Championship.
However, a freak incident which saw him rip his pectoral muscle off the bone just 10 minutes into his first pre-season game against Cambridge United back in the summer.
Former Bluebirds boss Steve Morison said Adams was "flying" in his recovery back in September, but with Christmas just a fortnight away, there is no sign of the Gambia international playing a part in proceedings in the next few fixtures at the very least.
That, unfortunately, is down to a new injury relating to his knee. No doubt a source of major frustration once again for the 26-year-old, who has been relatively injury-free in his career up until this time, which will be no comfort to him at this stage.
Asked for an update on Adams' situation, manager Mark Hudson said on Thursday: " Ebou Adams has something in his knee that needs tidying up.
"He has a tiny little flake that was just rubbing away at the tendons. It's just a clean-up, really.
"I would have to speak to the physios (about how long it will set him back), but he is going for [the clean-up] today. So I am hoping for some news after.
"But that was just holding him back on the rehab. They found it, which was great. It'll be just a tidy-up and he will be like a new signing in January as well."
So, going by Hudson's words, we are unlikely to see him until January at the earliest. And it's hard not to feel for a midfielder in the prime of his career losing more than half a season after securing what he will likely view as his 'big move'. It'll be a big disappointment for him.
The midfield has come in for some scrutiny at times this season. While Ryan Wintle has largely flourished, Andy Rinomhota, Joe Ralls and Romaine Sawyers have all had their critics during the last few months. Whether Adams can better Cardiff's output in the middle of the park is still anyone's guess, though, as no one has seen him in a blue shirt just yet.
There is hope, though, that Adams can at least add another option and new dimension to the engine room for the back half of the season and, like Hudson said, can be like a new signing for the back end of the campaign.
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