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Afobe’s return is Bristol City ‘biggest boost’ ahead of Championship restart – Carey
The DR Congo international has recovered from an anterior cruciate ligament injury which kept him out of action since August
Bristol City legend Louis Carey said Benik Afobe’s return from injury will be the biggest boost for the Robins ahead of the resumption of the 2019-20 Championship season.
Afobe, who joined Lee Johnson's side on a season-long loan from Stoke City last June, suffered an ACL injury during a training session earlier this season with his last competitive match in August.
Before the setback, the 27-year-old scored three goals in his first five games for the Robins which include a brace against Hull City on August 24.
Bristol City are seventh on the league table just a point adrift of the promotion playoff zone, and Carey believes Afobe's presence in the team will be crucial in the final nine games of the season.
"Any striker who has got a proven track record within the Championship and within the Premier League, to have that type of signing coming back when you've got nine games to go is the biggest boost the players could ask for,” Carey was quoted as saying on BBC Radio Bristol.
"When there's proven goals in a player that can step into your team, that is a gift.
"That is something that this time off has helped with and hopefully he can come in and start how he started when he originally signed and it would be great for the whole club."
The English second division will resume on June 20, more than three months after it was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Carey, who spent 18 years at Ashton Gate across two stints, is positive that the Robins have the quality to qualify for the play-offs.
"Whatever you say, they've got a top squad and I think after they've had this time off I think the majority of people will be back fit so they've got as much a chance as anybody and I know we've spoken about this over the years, the Championship is crazy," he said.
"You can quite easily go on a six-game winning run or six-game losing run. We are going to see that. There will be somebody that will fall like a stone with these nine games and hopefully it won't be Bristol City and hopefully they can push.
"They've certainly got the players, they're in a great position and if there is an understanding in what the manager wants, once you get back fit hopefully, they can hit the ground running. If they can put together performances like I saw at times in the Fulham game, then they've got every chance of making the play-offs."
