Cardiff City`s under fire midfielder Joe Ledley reacted in bullish fashion to recent criticism levied at him by supporters and his own Chairman. Whilst Ledley refused to comment directly on Peter Ridsdale`s comments (see HERE), he did see fit to defend his current form (or lack of) it and countered with the revelation that he desperately needs surgery on a painful hip injury.
Something hasn`t been right with Joe for a while, much talk about protracted contract dealings and niggling injuries have been suggested, but he is a shadow of his energetic, creative self and has had such a limited impact on recent games that even his most fervent supporters have been forced to concede he doesn`t warrant a place in the side.
Unfortunately for Joe, illness to Stephen McPhail has left a creative void in an already unbalanced midfield and Dave Jones has decided he cannot be without Ledley at the current time. Joe told the SW Echo:
“I`m not playing at 100 per cent. To tell you the truth I need an operation on my hip. I`ve been told that it will keep me out of the game for at least 10 to 12 weeks.”
“The gaffer Dave Jones wants me to play through the injury, but I need an operation as soon as possible. It badly restricts my movement on certain things and it aggravates certain parts of my body.”
“Nobody is going to see the best of me until that operation is done and sorted out properly. I`m not using it as an excuse for my form, it`s a fact.”
Three months out would see a January move for Ledley seem distinctly remote and he would surely fail a fitness test. However, he remains free to sign a pre-contract agreement with any interested parties and would leave next summer. Whether through injury, or on form – Joe Ledley should not be playing for Cardiff City at the moment. Dave Jones knows the full picture and should not have left it to Ledley to defend himself this way, or allowed him to keep playing when not contributing to the team.
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