Liverpool loanee Rhys Williams has not performed for Aberdeen since a 45-minute outing in pre-season, with “niggle after niggle” preserving him out.
When Williams joined Aberdeen on the finish of June, the centre-back’s purpose was to emulate long-time team-mate Leighton Clarkson and luxuriate in a breakthrough marketing campaign.
But whereas Clarkson has taken up a key function once more following his everlasting change to Pittrodie over the summer season, it has been a lot completely different for Williams.
His solely look for Aberdeen thus far got here in a pre-season pleasant in opposition to Turriff United, taking part in 45 minutes as a part of the warmup schedule.
He missed subsequent friendlies in opposition to Fraserburgh, Preston and Charlton, with supervisor Barry Robson explaining between the latter two video games that he “had a number of points together with his again going into his calves.”
Robson’s evaluation on the time was: “He has had to return and begin once more together with his coaching regime.”
Almost two months on and Williams isn’t any nearer to returning for the primary group, with solely 90 minutes for the under-21s and an evening on the bench within the Europa League qualifying defeat to Hacken to point out for his mortgage thus far.
Speaking earlier than Aberdeen’s journey to Hearts on Saturday – the fifth consecutive league sport Williams has missed – Robson stated his state of affairs was “stop-start.”
“He’s really rolled his ankle,” Robson instructed the Press and Journal.
“He retains getting niggle after niggle, the place he’s simply getting going after which has to cease once more, however he’ll get there.”
In quotes carried by AberdeenReside, the supervisor admitted it had been “an actual irritating time” for Williams, however added that “hopefully we’ll get him again quickly.”
Williams has endured irritating mortgage spells in every of the previous two seasons, with stints at Swansea in 2021/22 and Blackpool in 2022/23 each reduce brief.
That means he has performed 24 video games of senior soccer since his marketing campaign within the Liverpool first group in 2020/21, with the transfer to Aberdeen designed to provide him a daily beginning spot.
The hope shall be that he can show his health and declare that within the close to future, with Aberdeen competing on three fronts together with the Europa Conference League.
Eintracht Frankfurt are their first opponents in Europe, with an away tie in Group G on Thursday, whereas HJK and PAOK are additionally of their group.
Aberdeen are into the quarter-finals of the Scottish League Cup, with Ross County to come back on September 27, whereas they at present sit eleventh within the Scottish Premiership.
First seem at Liverpool loanee nonetheless hasn’t debuted for brand new membership with “niggle after niggle”
