'He can handle pain' - Bristol City boss drops defiant injury update ahead of Coventry clash

Bristol City drew 2-2 at home with Leicester City in their latest Championship outing on Wednesday night. They went 2-0 down against the Foxes after goals by Jordan Ayew and Bobby De Cordova-Reid. However, they fought back to secure a point with Mark Sykes and Emil Riis on the scoresheet.

Gerhard Struber’s side are positioned in 10th place in the table after 20 fixtures and are one point off the play-offs. The Robins are back in action this weekend with a tricky away trip to the CBS Arena to play Coventry City. Their upcoming opponents are top of the tree above Middlesbrough.

Bristol City injury latest regarding Zak Vyner

Bristol City were forced to substitute defender Zak Vyner against Leicester. He has injured his knee and will now need to be assessed ahead of their match against Coventry. The centre-back, who has also played in midfield this season, has been ever-present for the Robins.

Struber has shared this update regarding his condition: "I would say I was clear (about) what we had to change (at half-time). Also, we have the one or other personnel change. First of all, with Zaky, this was also (because) he felt a little bit in the knee. He was not 100 per cent ready after 25 minutes, so this was also important to save him and protect him [from] maybe an injury. We don't know exactly what's going on. The other one, I felt that we needed a different power on the last line, and I would say Sincs, he showed us again a really good performance."

When asked whether he will need a scan, he said: "I don’t know. I have to speak right now with the medical team, this could be (a) yes, but on the same time, Zaky is a man. He can handle pain, and hopefully he’s ready for the next (game).”

What now for Zak Vyner at Bristol City?

Bristol City have held talks with Vyner over a contract extension. His deal at Ashton Gate expires at the end of the campaign and he is due to become a free agent in June 2026 as things stand. It remains to be seen at this stage whether he will put pen-to-paper on fresh terms.

He was on the radar of Wrexham in the last transfer window following their promotion from League One under Phil Parkinson. However, a switch to the Racecourse Ground didn’t materialise in the end. He stayed put with his current club beyond the deadline in early September but his future remains up in the air ahead of January.

Vyner, 28, has been with Bristol City for his whole career to date. He rose up through their academy and featured for them at various different youth levels as a youngster, as well as having loan spells away with the likes of Accrington Stanley, Plymouth Argyle, Rotherham United and Aberdeen to get some experience under his belt and boost his development. He has since gone on to make 246 appearances in all competitions and has scored four goals.