Sat Oct 22, 2022 3:42 pm
Earnie: I had the same struggles as Colwill
Former Cardiff City striker Robert Earnshaw can sympathise with Rubin Colwill's injury struggles - because he found it just as difficult to adapt to the rigours of senior football.
Colwill will miss Sunday's South Wales derby because of a hip-flexor injury, just one of a string of issues which have hampered his progress in recent months.
Mark Hudson doesn't believe the problem will keep him out of the World Cup, but Colwill's lack of game time is a real cause for concern for both club and country at the minute, with the playmaker, 20, having played just half an hour of football for the Bluebirds since August.
It's not ideal, especially as he is the most creative player Cardiff have at their disposal, and Earnshaw believes that while Colwill is talented, he will need to adjust to men's football and improve his game in the process over the next couple of years.
"He's a good player. But he is very raw and he needs a lot of work and he needs to improve and grow," Earnshaw told WalesOnline.
"Now he is becoming that professional. When you come in you have an impact, but the speed is different, the consistency, how many games you play, the physicality.
"I was faced with that. I had to build myself as a young player for the first three, four, five years to be able to handle all the physicality. He is having those challenges now.
"He is a good player, but he needs to get himself fit and physically right and hopefully he can get himself right for the World Cup."