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Injury-hit Cardiff weighing up free-agent options

Cardiff City are continuing to monitor the free-agent market as an injury-hit squad leaves head coach Brian Barry-Murphy short of options.

Injury-hit Cardiff weighing up free-agent options
Cardiff are still without Dylan Lawlor, Will Fish, Calum Chambers and Isaak Davies, while Rubin Colwill faces a race against time to be fit for Saturday's trip to Bolton Wanderers after suffering ankle irritation.

The injury setbacks have increased focus on Cardiff's recruitment after a summer that brought only four new signings.

Barry-Murphy had suggested the club were keen to do business after arrival, but transfer deadline day passed by with no more players coming in.

"We have to have an awareness of all the players who are available," he said.

"Based on how the window is, we monitor everything. The recruitment team here are across everything.

"It's a different time frame. All the players in the unattached market have different options all over the world. You just have to see what we need and what they have available. It's an ongoing thing. "

Barry-Murphy also downplayed speculation linking Cardiff with Wales international Rabbi Matondo following his departure from Norwegian side Brann.

"There's nothing in that," he said.

"He's a player I know, obviously. He was at Manchester City before I was there. "

For now, Cardiff's focus must be on getting key players back on the pitch.

, with his manager saying the player has gone up "another level" this season.

Lawlor is making encouraging progress and could return when they host Charlton Athletic at Cardiff City Stadium on 19 September (12:30 BST), while Fish is expected to resume full training during the upcoming international break in September.

"Once we get Dylan and Will back, we'll be in a really strong and healthy position," Barry-Murphy said.

The outlook is less clear for Chambers, who is nursing knee, neck and back issues.

"He's been in the wars a bit," Barry-Murphy added. "It's quite difficult to put a timescale on when he returns. "

Cardiff are expected to be without Davies, who has a hamstring injury, for three weeks.

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