Liam Manning drops Matty James contract hint as Bristol City captain is ruled out of Stoke clash
Matty James has been a key player for Bristol City under Liam Manning and predecessor Nigel Pearson
Matty James has been ruled out of Bristol City’s final game of the season at Stoke City as he undergoes minor surgery on a hernia but head coach Liam Manning has hinted the midfielder could remain in BS3 beyond this summer.
City captain James is one of four first-team players out of contract next month, alongside Joe Williams, Andy King and Andi Weimann, and his absence this Saturday means, unless anything changes, his 115th and last appearance for the club will be the 64 minutes he played in the 2-0 win over Rotherham United.
Technical director Brian Tinnion revealed on Robins TV a contract offer has been presented to Williams to extend his stay in the West Country but there was no mention of James, who joined the club three years ago under Nigel Pearson.
Should Williams stay, with Max Bird arriving from Derby County after his loan-back for the second half of the season, plus Jason Knight and Taylor Gardner-Hickman also in place, City will have four senior central midfielders for 2024/25, not counting those who play further up the pitch or younger talents such as Adam Murphy and Jed Meerholz.
But Manning has indicated that number could swell to five, with talks ongoing and meetings still taking place to determine James’ future.
“Not definitely that, no, I wouldn’t say that,” Manning said, when it was proposed to him that James may have played his last game for the club. “I’ve got some more meetings this week.
“He’s done a terrific job, Jamo, I’ve really enjoyed working with him and it’s a case of just seeing what that looks like. There’s no definite decision on that yet.”
Cam Pring has also made his final appearance in 2023/24 with the left-back also undergoing a procedure for a similar problem to James, which has dogged him throughout most of the year. With the Robins safely positioned in mid-table, having the surgery now should enable the 26-year-old to recover and be ready for the start of pre-season in mid-June.
“It’s nothing major, it’s just an opportunity to get it cleaned up quickly and give him a rest and get him right for day one (of pre-season),” Manning added.
Kal Naismith (calf), Sam Bell, Rob Atkinson, and Ayman Benarous (all hamstring) are also projected to be in position to resume training in around six weeks, having all experienced extended periods out of the first-team picture.
“That’s the plan at the minute,” Manning said. “We’ve actually got a little bit more time on the end of it so it’s not a rush to get them back, we’ve got a bit of extra time with the off-season, which helps.
