Joe Low could be set to be part of the Bristol City matchday 18 once again after the centre-back was left out of the Under-21 side that faced Charlton Athletic at the Robins High Performance Centre, while Andi Weimann also appears primed for a return to the squad.
Low made his first ever appearance in a City squad against Swansea City on Saturday having originally only travelled with the rest of the senior group, but Rob Atkinson’s late withdrawal due to illness meant the 20-year-old was promoted to the substitutes bench.
The same scenario looks to be likely against Sheffield United at Ashton Gate with both Atkinson and defender Timm Klose battling a flu bug and after being a regular for the U21s all season, Low’s omission from Ali Hines’ side indicates he’s needed in some capacity by Nigel Pearson.
The City manager is without Kal Naismith and Tomas Kalas through calf injuries but if Atkinson or Klose don’t recover then that leaves him with Low as his only specialist centre-back cover for Zak Vyner, with full-backs George Tanner and Cam Pring taking makeshift roles in the back three.
If Klose or Atkinson do make a return, then Low could just be required as a back-up - as initially was the case against Swansea - but the situation is clearly in the balance.
Pearson’s resources further up the field look to be better, however, given the fact midfielder Dylan Kadji and striker Sam Bell both took to the field in Failand for the U21s.
Kadji and Bell were also on the substitutes bench against Swansea, with the latter coming on for the final 17 minutes of the Championship encounter.
That was due to Weimann not being declared well enough to be part of the squad and Bell’s return to the youth set-up would imply the Austrian is now fit enough to return against Sheffield United, as Pearson would have his full complement of forwards: Weimann, Tommy Conway, Antoine Semenyo, Nahki Wells and Chris Martin.
Kadji's appearance for the Young Robins also means that Alex Scott has probably shaken off any illness he was suffering with on Saturday, as mentioned by Pearson in his post-match press conference.
Goalkeeper Stefan Bajic and midfielder Han-Noah Massengo also started for the U21s, with the former still to make his first-team breakthrough as he continues his recovery from a wrist injury while the latter’s contract issue leaves him on the periphery of the senior squad.
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