Coventry City boss Frank Lampard has revealed that Haji Wright’s return from injury is set to take a ‘bit longer’ than they had initially hoped.
The Sky Blues’ forward has been out of action since suffering an ankle ligament injury in the clash with Sunderland back in November, with reports at the start of the month claiming that the American was back in training and set for a return within weeks.
Lampard has since moved to quash those theories with the latest update on the 26-year-old, who scored seven goals in 15 matches before being sidelines for the last three months.
There were positive updates regarding Ben Sheaf and Ephron Mason-Clark though, with the pair on track to return to action before too long.
Frank Lampard gives Coventry City, Haji Wright update
The wait for Wright to return to first-team action looks to be extending further than initially expected, according to Lampard, with the nature of the injury proving rehabilitation to be somewhat unpredictable.
While there were initial estimates of a January return, it looks likely that the attacker will out for a few more weeks yet, with the Cov boss giving the lowdown to Coventry Live on Friday.
When quizzed if Wright is back training on the grass since his injury, the Sky Blues boss said: “No, hopefully next week.”
“I wouldn’t call it a setback. It’s taken a bit longer, probably. It was a difficult injury, Haji’s injury, a difficult ankle injury.
“So as much as you try to estimate how long these things take, you’re always waiting for that moment of the last bit to get on the pitch, those little steps along the way. So I wouldn’t call it a setback, it’s just a little bit slower than any of us want.
“It’s obviously a frustration for us all. He wants to play and I want him to play. I haven’t seen him yet and just see him in the gym and have a little chat with him here and there, so it’s really unfortunate because I know the level of player that he is and what he can do for this club. But it is what it is.”
| Haji Wright’s Coventry City stats across all competitions as of January 24, via FotMob | |||
| Season | Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 2023/24 | 50 | 19 | 7 |
| 2024/25 | 17 | 7 | 1 |
Focusing on getting the ex-Antalyaspor frontman fit and firing for the remainder of the campaign will be a priority for the City medical staff over the coming weeks, with the recent form of Brandon Thomas-Asante in front of goal helping to cushion the blow up top, with the forward notching twice in as many games to secure wins over Bristol City and Blackburn Rovers.
With momentum continuing to build around the CBS Arena, Wright’s return to action could coincide with an exciting climax to the Championship campaign, with the Sky Blues on an upwards trajectory as the season progresses.
Frank Lampard gives Ephron Mason-Clark, Ben Sheaf updates
It wasn’t all disappointing news for Lampard this week though, with Mason-Clark nearing a return to action, having picked up an injury in the 4-0 victory over Plymouth Argyle on Boxing Day.
“He’s progressing nicely,” the City boss said of the forward. “We’re hoping it will be about six weeks (in total) so that means he’ll hopefully be back in a couple of weeks’ time, hopefully, in and around the team for training and then hopefully back soon.
“You have to be careful with hamstrings, especially with pretty explosive players, wingers, but I have to say his attitude has been first class, as I expected it from the short time of knowing him.
“He’s a great lad, great attitude and done everything in the gym. He’s already looking stronger so in the big scheme this won’t be the worst thing for Ephron.
“It’s bad now but these injuries are par for the course for young players and he’s dealt with it brilliantly, and hopefully we’ll see him back soon.”
In regards to Sheaf, there was also positive news: “He’s a top pro, captain of the club and I really have a lot of time for Ben when I speak to him. He really cares and he hates being out.
“I know the feeling because I also used to get calf injuries towards the end of my career, from 30 onwards, so I’ve got a real understanding of calves and how frustrating they are as an injury.
“You try and do everything you can to manage them and all the things that you do. But he’s working really well so he’s hopefully on schedule to be back, hopefully, similar-ish time to Ephron – something around that or just a little bit later.”
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