Rickie Lambert: Warnock warns striker over game time
Rickie Lambert is currently costing the Bluebirds well over £25,000 a week.
By Ian Hunt BBC Wales Sport
Tuesday 27th June
England international Rickie Lambert is unlikely to play many Cardiff City games in 2017-18, says boss Neil Warnock.
The former Liverpool striker, 35, was Cardiff's star signing when he joined from West Brom in the summer of 2016.
Warnock says he will prefer Kenneth Zohore and new signing Danny Ward.
"If Zahore's fit and Ward's fit, he's not going to get much (game time) at all, is he? He's not daft," said Warnock.
Lambert scored only four goals in 13 league starts in 2016-17.
"It's a catch-22 situation for Rickie - he wants to get fit enough to play enough in the Championship, yet he needs games to get himself fit," said Warnock.
"We haven't been able to do that on either front."
Back in training
Carduff City committee signed Lambert on a two-year deal in August, 2016.
The last of Lambert's four Cardiff goals came in a 3-1 defeat at Aston Villa on 26 November.
He was restricted mostly to substitute appearances under Warnock as Zohore established himself as Cardiff's first-choice striker.
"We're back in training this week so I'll be having a chat with Rickie and one or two others over the next week or so," said Warnock.
"I think it (Lambert's future) will be sorted over the next fortnight. I can't see it dragging on into the summer."