Players rally round pal Bates after injury woe

The Scotland international returned to the Riverside Stadium on Wednesday after his loan spell at Bristol City was brought to a premature conclusion following Matthew Bates’s latest bout of injury misery.

McManus could go straight into the team for today’s Championship trip to Brighton and could have a significant role to play over the remaining weeks of the campaign after Bates suffered yet more cruciate ligament damage.

Mowbray said: “Stephen knows what’s what in football and is very professional about how he goes about his job. His only question was whether he was coming back to play or to sit on the bench.

“I’m sure after getting some games under his belt in the last few weeks, he’ll come back and do a good job.”

Mowbray, meanwhile, has described how the squad have united in support of Bates as he comes to terms with a cruciate ligament injury for the fifth time in his career.

After a scan on Wednesday confirmed the seriousness of the injury, Bates has now seen a specialist but knows it could take anywhere between six to nine months to recover.

Bates has plenty of support from those around him.

“There is a great camaraderie in football,” said Mowbray. “It is a competitive environment yet you go through disappointments together. When something happens like this everyone rallies round. There is a desperation from team-mates. You want things to go well for your pal.”