By Glen Williams

Copyright walesonline

Here are your Cardiff City headlines for Friday, September 19. Cardiff City midfielder Eli King underwent surgery this week as he faces a season on the sidelines. The Bluebirds academy graduate tore his ACL during a training session ahead of the Cheltenham Town Carabao Cup clash, with Brian Barry-Murphy confirming he wouldn’t play again this campaign . But the player has undergone surgery now, with the Bluebirds boss saying on Thursday: “Eli had surgery yesterday on his knee, so he is back in Cardiff today.” During his rehabilitation, King has started a YouTube channel, focusing on the importance of talking to others for the purposes of maintaining your mental health. It will see the 22-year-old interviewing other people in the industry about their experiences with the highs and lows of football. The channel — Just a Quick Convo — has just launched and Barry-Murphy says it speaks to the “super intelligent” King’s personality that he had the initiative to do this after suffering such a crushing injury. “Yeah, Just a Quick Convo – it’s a big topic of conversation in the dressing room,” he added. “He is a super intelligent guy and it’s insightful that he is thinking of things like that, speaking to his team-mates and to encourage members of our playing and coaching staff on to it. “Whoever is on next will be an interesting listen! “It’s definitely an insight into the type of guy that he is and how mindful he is of those things.” Sign up to our WhatsApp channel here . Dylan Lawlor has laid bare just how quickly his Cardiff career has transformed this summer, going from potentially considering a loan move away to one of the star performers in this Bluebirds side. Lawlor made his first-team debut against Aston Villa in the FA Cup last season and turned out against Norwich City on the final day of the Championship campaign, too. However his first-team prospects were uncertain during the summer as Cardiff’s protracted manager search took months to resolve. And he himself admits that with so many senior players ahead of him, a temporary exit might have been on the cards in order for him to gain exposure at senior level. However, the 19-year-old, who was named the League One Young Player of the Month for August, has stamped his mark on the team and is one of the first names on the team sheet now. And the Wales international has charted just how his summer unfolded in an interview with the Not The Top 20 podcast. “It’s hard as a young player. You never think you are going to play, especially as a centre-back, you never think you are going to start the season at centre-back, with players like Calum Chambers, Will Fish, Jesper Daland was here at the time,” he said. “I felt like all of them were ahead of me. I was trying to push and work hard, trying to get myself in the team. “But I was possibly looking at a loan. “But then when Brian came in, he showed a lot of trust in the youth and he has been really positive. It’s a positive environment, positive vibes around the place. “Even though we got relegated, there are positives to come out of that. We are probably stronger now than we were at the end of last season. “When did I know? The day of the game. You get thrown in the deep end and don’t really look back. You build the performances, get clean sheets and then win games.” He counts clean sheets at Port Vale and at Wimbledon as moments that he is proud of, having to “grind out” results and growing himself as a player during those battles. Sign up to our daily newsletter here . Lawlor praises his Bluebirds boss for affording him the time to get to grips with the rigours of League One football and allowing him a chance to learn from his mistakes. “He is a top manager, I was buzzing when he got appointed,” he said of Barry-Murphy. “Obviously with his Man City background, getting players into the first team. At the start it was tough, in pre-season I played a bit at right-back, then centre-back, I wasn’t really sure where I stood. “Then he made it clear and the relationship grew from there. He has given me the opportunity and confidence to play, make mistakes – and there have been mistakes, especially in the first couple of games – and I’ve grown and learned from them. “You’ve got to give him credit, because it would have been easy for him to take me out, put in a senior centre-half who knows the game and built for League One. “But he put trust in me and the other players and you’ve got to give him credit for that.” Cardiff City loanee Kion Etete will have to wait another week before making his Rotherham United comeback as the Millers take no chances with his recovery from a knee problem. The 23-year-old forward, who joined the League One side on loan last month, has been sidelined since limping off in the 22nd minute of Rotherham’s 1-0 win over Exeter City on September 6. He was later diagnosed with a minor ligament issue. Etete is back out on the training pitch and has stepped up his outdoor rehabilitation, but Rotherham boss Matt Hamshaw says he is not prepared to rush the Cardiff man back into action. “I think it’s unlikely we’ll see him this weekend,” Hamshaw admitted ahead of Saturday’s clash with Stockport County. “It’s disappointing, but I don’t want to take an unnecessary risk with him. If it was the last game of the season with something riding on it, he’d be in the squad. I expect him to be fully right for Mansfield.” That means Etete is now being lined up for a return against Mansfield Town on September 27, with the Millers keen to manage his minutes after a stop-start beginning to life in South Yorkshire. The Bluebirds forward has already missed three games through injury since moving from Cardiff. Hamshaw also revealed he hopes to send some of his fringe players out on loan to gain experience, but says those plans will be on hold until more senior players return from injury. — *Follow all of our social channels to ensure you stay up to date with the latest Bluebirds news. Sign up to our daily newsletter here and our WhatsApp channel here . You can also follow us on social media on our X account and Facebook . Our Cardiff City correspondent Glen Williams is also on social media. He can be found on his X account here , on Instagram , on TikTok and on Facebook .