Bristol City and Liam Manning spent a lot of the summer transfer window attempting to add a creative spark to their midfield.
Scott Twine was clearly the Robins’ primary target and after a summer of seemingly endless toing and froing with Burnley, they managed to bring the former MK Dons star to Ashton Gate permanently.
West Ham loanee George Earthy also made the move to the West Country, joining the Robins’ ranks on a season-long loan having impressed in a handful of Premier League cameos at the end of last term.
So far, however, it has been Max Bird who has made that position his own. City agreed a deal to bring the 24-year-old to Bristol from Derby County in January but he didn’t join up with Manning’s side until pre-season. Since then, the midfielder has become one of the first names on the teamsheet.
Next season, Josh Stokes, 20, will return from his loan spell with Cambridge United and will be keen to throw his hat in the ring to battle both Twine and Bird for that number 10 position.
Like Bird, City agreed a deal with Aldershot Town to sign the attacking midfielder in the January transfer window, but he didn’t officially join the Reds until the summer when he impressed both on pre-season tour in Portugal and in the Carabao Cup defeat to Coventry City.
With minutes set to be limited at Ashton Gate, the decision was taken to allow Stokes to join the U’s in League One for the season where he was thrown immediately into the fold by Garry Monk.
So far, the 20-year-old has managed to pick up a single assist in three league appearances but his campaign has been curtailed by a knee injury that has seen him sidelined since the middle of September.
The hope is that it won’t be too much longer before Stokes is back in full training but while he continues his recovery, we caught up with Cambridge journalist Matt Ramsay, who writes for the Press Association, to find out how he’s getting on.
How would you sum up Stokes’ loan spell so far?
He was initially impressive and then frustrating due to the injury lay-off that means he hasn’t appeared in a U’s shirt for over two months. A loss at Mansfield was frustrating due to the result, but also for being the last time we saw both Josh Stokes and (until Saturday) forward Shayne Lavery after impressive starts to their Cambridge careers.
How impressive was he before he picked up the injury?
Hugely. He came in with United already struggling at the start of the season and he arrived off the bench with Cambridge 3-1 down at home to Blackpool. He helped change the game, with a 4-1 deficit ending in a 4-4 draw. The only criticism was Stokes missing a presentable, late chance to make it an even more remarkable turnaround. He then provided two assists in the EFL Trophy at Bromley and another assist at Manfield, but that was the last time he played.
Has he only played as an attacking midfielder during his loan spell?
The spot behind the main forward is where he’s played in the main. He’s as comfortable carrying the ball in advanced positions but he’s shown that he can be dangerous in other positions too. A smart run to the wide edge of the box led to one of his assists at Bromley, so he can be a threat from wider areas too.
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How have the fans taken to him?
He lifted the crowd as soon as he came on for his debut against Blackpool. He looks up the pitch rather than turning back, being a true attacking midfielder, and possessed the quality to make things come off. With his role in that 4-4 draw and then three assists prior to his injury, it wasn’t difficult for the fans to be immediately won over, hence the widespread dismay at the news of his injury.
Do you expect him to return to the starting XI after his injury?
While still in the relegation zone, Cambridge are in a far better place now than when Stokes was injured. However, he will certainly be straight back into the thick of things when he becomes available. He’ll presumably come back onto the bench while he builds up his fitness, but if he makes the same impression coming into the side as he did first time around then hopefully he’ll remain a key player.
From what you’ve seen so far, do you think he could push for a place in the Bristol City first team set-up next season?
It’s important to reiterate that he’s only started three games following a debut 45 minutes as a sub, as opposed to many more appearances that we’d have anticipated and hoped for, but if someone jumps out for their quality in League One then you’d think there’s every chance they’ll be able to step up a division further.
If he’s at Cambridge until the end of the season rather than recalled in January, then further experience at the Abbey Stadium in the coming months can only benefit all parties.