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Neil Warnock reveals potential back-up plan if Cardiff City fail in their January bid to land a striker

The Bluebirds boss remains keen on bolstering his attacking options, but admits he may be forced to make other plans

Cardiff City vs Huddersfield big match guide

Cardiff City boss Neil Warnock has suggested he could be prepared to hand Rhys Healey his chance to shine in the Premier League, particularly if he fails to land the new striker he so craves in this window.

Having signed a new three-year contract with the Bluebirds last season, the 24-year old has returned from a recent fruitful loan spell at Milton Keynes, where he scored nine goals in 21 games.

MK boss Paul Tisdale has already admitted that he'd "love to get him back" in this window and Warnock admits he's at a crossroads in terms of where to go next with the highly-rated forward.

But with Danny Ward currently recovering from a head injury and Kenneth Zohore another week away from full training, Healey could yet fit straight into the first team set-up for this weekend's crunch clash with Huddersfield Town.

"He'll probably be involved at the weekend if Danny Ward's not about," Warnock said. "I don't honestly know yet."

Another loan spell hasn't been ruled, although Warnock insists that MK are the only club that he would consider doing a deal with.

Cardiff City striker Rhys Healey

He added: "If he is involved with us, he can only go back to MK Dons, he can't go anywhere else, so I've got to think about that. He's done brilliantly at MK Dons and he's looked sharp in training."

Warnock has made little secret of his desire to get a new striker on board in this window, with the club seemingly refusing to give up in their chase for Nantes frontman Emiliano Sala, although the City boss remains pessimistic on getting a deal done for the Argentine.

Nevertheless, he claims several other striking targets have already been drawn up, although he admits that there is a possibility that he may have to work with what he's got.

"The window is a bit like climbing a mountain with butter on your hands," he said. "One minute you think you're almost there and then you slide back down.

"You get your hopes up and say yes that’s a done deal and then the next day it’s not a done deal.

 

"You've got to learn to live with that and say that if we don't get any players in we've got to get points with what we've got and continue the miracle.

"The lads are brilliant. If I was going into the trenches, I would like them alongside me. There's some much worse situations than ours."

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That situation would potentially leave the door open for Healey, who's been tipped for a bright future by those in the know at City, and Warnock himself has no doubt he can prove a success in the Premier League.

"You know what you're getting with Rhys. He's an absolute gem of a lad. He'll cause problems. Even at this level he'll cause problems.

"I won't have any problems. If I don't get anyone make no mistake he won't be going anywhere."

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