Luke Turner suggests that Maikel Kieftenbeld could be in need of some time off…
Maikel Kieftenbeld has proved to be one of the signings of the season in the Championship by Gary Rowett and has been so influential for us but seems to have gone off the boil a bit recently.
He has still worked tirelessly but I think that it has all caught up with him in the past few games and could do with a breather.
The high energy game he plays means that he sets himself high standards in terms of closing down and supporting both defence and attack.
Perhaps the amount of minutes he has played is beginning to have an effect on him and, we must remember, it is his first season in the Championship.
He has been substituted in the last two games at quite an early stage due to being slightly off the pace and I think it would benefit us all for him to be rested.
There is a perfect replacement for him in David Davis and, by giving Maikel a little breather this weekend, he should come back stronger than ever for the run in after the international break.
Luckily for us, that two week break will give Kieftenbeld and the rest of squad time to get back to full fitness and be raring to go after it.
I’m not suggesting that he will have no part to play in this weekends game against Fulham but, a place on the bench could seem likely.
Another thing playing on his mind might be the fact that if he receives another booking then it would see him miss the next two games.
Obviously this is no excuse but it could be having an impact on him and, in some ways, might be holding him back a bit.