Steve Morison has confirmed that Kion Etete is set for spell on the sidelines after rolling his ankle during an under-21s clash with Sheffield United earlier this week.
Etete was a notable absentee on a day Cardiff struggled to break down a resolute Preston North End defence at Cardiff City Stadium, during a frustrating goalless draw which saw the hosts muster up 21 shots on goal without scoring.
Rumours had spread on social media and on message boards that Etete was set for a significant period on the treatment table on the back of the injury, but Morison has confirmed the former Tottenham man will only be out for "a couple of weeks".
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"He rolled his ankle during the game against Sheffield United," he told WalesOnline. "Ignore the report that was going round this morning because that's nonsense.
"He's not going to be back this week, but it's definitely nowhere near what's been said. Someone's spreading lies. He's hurt his ankle, but it's not that bad."
The news will nevertheless cause the calls to sign a new striker to grow ever louder, heading into the final week of the transfer window, but Morison has played down the prospect of any imminent arrivals.
"At the moment there's no business. Are we working hard on it? Yes. That's no different to what we've been doing since the start of April.
"If it happens, no doubt you lot [the media] will hear about it before it actually happens anyway. So at the moment there's nothing."
Morison has also added that he doesn't expect the recent Emiliano Sala ruling to have any impact on what will be possible for the rest of the window. The Court of Arbitration in Sport this week ordered Cardiff to pay Nantes the first instalment of the transfer fee for the Argentinian, who was tragically killed in a plane crash in January 2019.
That amount is believed to be around €6million, although Cardiff are set to appeal, and Morison doesn't believe it will have an effect on what he is able to do in the next few days or so.
"Not from my point of view," he said when asked if the ruling could have an effect. "I've not been told anything. We'll carry on as usual."
