By Daniel Nhakaniso
Cardiff City boss Erol Bulut has lauded Zimbabwean midfielder Andy Rinomhota for his fighting spirit following his recent resurgence at the Championship club.
Rinomhota appeared set to leave Cardiff ahead of the new season after a disappointing campaign last season marked by limited appearances .
Last season he featured in only three games for the club before being loaned out to Rotherham United for the second half of the season, where he added six more matches to his tally.
Despite these limited appearances, Rinomhota’s underlying capabilities and previous performances always suggestted he has more to offer and the Cardiff City manager appears to be finally taking notice.
From being on the fringes of the squad and destined for a move away, the 27-year-old Leeds-born star now looks set to remain at the club after working his way back into the coach’s plans following a solid pre-season.
The Cardiff manager Bulut admitted that he has been impressed by Rinomhota’s relentless spirit and professionalism even when he was out of favour at the club.
“Andy has good qualities to fight for us when we need him. He is a fighter and sometimes you need this kind of player in your team, so it looks like he will stay with us,” Bulut said of Rinomhota.
“It looks like Andy is going to stay with us. We cannot let everybody go, when we see the midfield players we have.
“Of course we have time until August 30, but for now we make a decision that we continue like that.
The Zimbabwe international joined the Bluebirds in 2022 on a three-year deal having been at Reading.
Rinomhota, who rose through the Royals academy, made nearly 150 appearances for the club before his move to Cardiff.
This season he has played against Bristol Rovers in the Carabao Cup but has been an unused substitute in Cardiff’s two Championship defeats at home to Sunderland and away to Burnley.
Rinomhota has reportedly attracted interest from League One side Birmingham City, who were reportedly monitoring his situation ahead of the transfer deadline.