Nigel Pearson offers verdict on Bristol City individual playing for his future | OneFootball

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Football League World

·27 November 2021

Nigel Pearson offers verdict on Bristol City individual playing for his future

Article image:Nigel Pearson offers verdict on Bristol City individual playing for his future

Callum O’Dowda is one of six players who will become a free agent at the end of the season, having been at Bristol City since 2016.

This has led to Nigel Pearson laying down the route for O’Dowda to earn his new contract before the end of the season.


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The 26-year-old is one of Bristol City’s longest-serving players having signed from Oxford United but has struggled with injuries in the past which has impacted his development.

Those injuries alone would make any manager think twice about offering an extension, but Pearson seems to have taken to O’Dowda, deploying him as a left-wing back in the previous two games.

He told the Bristol Post: “I like Callum a lot. Hopefully, he can stay fit and get a run in the side where he shows what he’s capable of.

“Where he’s currently playing suits his game. He worked exceptionally hard for the team the other day, in both directions. And that’s really important.”

Pearson is a huge fan of O’Dowda’s versatility and work ethic and believes that goes far when it comes to putting his teams together: “We’re not in a position to have luxury players. That’s where we are at the moment. I’m not suggesting that should be the case anyway, I’m not a big fan of having luxury players.

“I’m a fan of having a team that functions as a team and that framework allows people to be themselves and be whatever they are, whether that’s destructive or creative.”

The Verdict

To date, O’Dowda has never started more than 20 games in a season and as he approaches 27, his resale value diminishes.

It’s a side to football that can have a huge impact on a player’s career and O’Dowda is seemingly approaching a crossroads in his.

It’s imperative he has a run of starts and eclipses the 20 games he’s started so far as that will go a long way to convincing Pearson and the Bristol City hierarchy that he is worth investing in.

He’s clearly a talented player that needs to catch a break with injuries, so the next couple of months are important for him if he is to earn a new deal.

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