Cardiff City defender Dylan Lawlor will miss Wales' final two Nations League matches against Norway and Portugal after suffering a hamstring injury. The 20-year-old picked up the setback while playing for Cardiff City against Watford earlier this month, having only just returned from a knee issue that had kept him out of the start of the season.
Lawlor has not played for Wales since suffering the original knee problem during the 1-1 draw with Ghana in June. He made his first start of the season at Blackburn on 10 October, before suffering the hamstring issue just three days later. Cardiff head coach Brian Barry-Murphy said the club was disappointed but believed the enforced break would allow Lawlor to rehabilitate properly. Asked whether he regretted playing the defender after such a long spell out, Barry-Murphy said "a little bit," adding that the club had needed consistency and had limited options.
Barry-Murphy revealed Lawlor is expected to be out for around five to six weeks. He noted that the defender's knee had not been pain-free since the Ghana game, so the layoff gives the medical staff time to strengthen it fully. The five to six weeks of recovery should leave Lawlor in a strong position to be fit for the rest of the season.
Wales play Norway in Oslo on 14 November before hosting Portugal in Cardiff three days later. Craig Bellamy's side still have a chance of avoiding relegation from League A and securing a boost to their Euro 2028 qualification seedings.
Source: BBC Sport · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing