Blues midfielder Alan Judge will undergo an operation on Monday on the wrist he broke during the Republic of Ireland’s 1-1 draw in Denmark last night, former Blues boss and current Irish manager Mick McCarthy has revealed.
"They managed to put it back in place I think last night in Denmark,” McCarthy told FAI TV.
"They were conscious of any nerve damage if they didn’t and he may have had to stay. Thankfully he came back and he’s having it done on Monday.
"He’s a groomsman at a wedding today, which he was going to anyway, but I’m not sure how his suit is going to fit him now.
"It’s a shame because I thought he was terrific, I think he helped change the game for us.”
Shane Duffy headed Ireland’s equaliser in the 85th minute from a freekick Judge won and then whipped into the box, but McCarthy was just as pleased with the 30-year-old’s all-round game having come off the bench in the 61st minute to pick up his sixth full cap.
"Everybody knows about that having watched him, his delivery from a freekick, but prior to that just his energy and his ability when he got on the ball,” the Irish manager continued. "He just caused a threat. It’s such a shame because I thought he did really well.”
McCarthy believes Judge, who signed a new two-year deal with the Blues towards the end of the season having initially joined on a short-term deal in January, is back to the peak of his form.
"He’s been training really, really well,” he enthused. "I think he’s got back to his best, since he broke his leg with Brentford, ironically when he was playing against my team, Ipswich.
"And he’s looked really good, so [it’s a shame] for him to get that injury, he had a real chance of playing on Monday [the Euro 2020 qualifier against Gibraltar in Dublin].
"He’s going to have the op on Monday morning and he wants to be at the game on Monday night.”
Whether the injury might have any impact on Judge's involvement in Town’s pre-season remains to be seen, although players regularly play matches with broken wrists, Blues skipper Luke Chambers among them towards the end of last season. The squad is due to return to Playford Road on June 24th.
Meanwhile, Blues boss Paul Lambert was back in playing action for a Borussia Dortmund legends side facing a Liverpool team in Hong Kong earlier today.
Midfielder Lambert, who won the Champions League in his one full season with the Bundesliga side, picked up a second-half yellow card as his side were beaten 3-2 by the Merseysiders.