STEVE MORISON:
Steve Morison says Cardiff City no longer have any Covid-19 concerns ahead of their Championship clash with Bournemouth.
The Bluebirds were unable to face Derby County or Coventry City over the festive period - with several members of their squad being forced to isolate in accordance with government guidelines after returning positive coronavirus tests.
However, Cardiff players returned to training at their Vale Resort base on Monday ahead of Thursday's trip to the south coast of England.
STEVE MORISON:
"Everyone has now not got Covid," said Morison.
"We’ve had our first day of training yesterday for 10 days. We’ll have our second day today.
"We’re just ticking as many boxes as we can to prepare ourselves as best we can for Bournemouth.
"We haven’t had rhythm or routine because we’ve all been at home. Our first day was yesterday. We’re back on the grass now and and back in the building with slightly different measures now.
"We turn up, we train, get our food and go home so it’s slightly different to what it was prior, but the main thing is that everyone is healthy and as fit as they can be at the present moment.
"We wouldn’t have had any fans at home so it’s nice for us that at the next two games we get to have fans with us."
The significant rise in Covid-19 cases across the United Kingdom is set to have a strong impact on how the January transfer window pans out.
Premier League clubs are expected to stockpile fringe players to ensure they can cope in the event that they temporarily lose some of their top stars to coronavirus.
And Morison believes the vast majority of business in the upcoming market will be done in the final days of the window.
"In all honesty, this latest outbreak we’re in of Covid, I would be highly surprised if anyone does any business until the back end of January," admitted the Cardiff boss.
"Every single team we speak to, they can’t be releasing players. They need them just in case they have a Covid outbreak or if they lose five or six players. Everyone is in the same boat.
"I couldn’t let a load of players go out. What would happen if I lost a few, then I’m delving into the unknown again.
"I think it’s going to be a really late market, and that’s not for the fact we haven’t tried, it’ll be more for the fact that people are in a completely different scenario now because they’ve got players that are possibly in and around their first team, maybe they want them to go on loan, but then they have two or three players go down with Covid and have to keep them.
"We need to get through this wave now and see. Some of the big boys might do something, but I think for the loan market, I think people will be very reluctant to let people go just yet until we’re hopefully out on the other side of what we’re in at the minute."
Bournemouth returned to the top of the league table courtesy of a 1-0 win over Queens Park Rangers on Monday.
Dominic Solanke struck the only goal of the game at The Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium as the Cherries ended a run of six games without a win.
And Morison believes Scott Parker's men are worthy of their status as league leaders ahead of what is the final game of the calendar year for both clubs.
"As I've said, the league doesn’t lie,you are where you are in the league because of what you earned" he added.
"They’re at the top because they deserve to be at the top. It was an exciting game to watch [against QPR] but we’ve just got to worry about ourselves."
Kick-off at The Vitality Stadium is at 7:45pm on Thursday.
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