Sport · Swindon
Swindon Town defensive boost as Stephan Negru misses international call-up
By Swindon Now Editorial Team · Published
Swindon Town will have defender Stephan Negru available for upcoming fixtures after he was left out of the Moldova squad, though Sam Inwood joins Northern Ireland under-21s.
Swindon Town have received a timely boost to their defensive options for the upcoming period, with key man Stephan Negru remaining with the squad for the duration of the international break. The 23-year-old has not been named in the Moldova side for their upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures against Slovakia, the Faroe Islands and Kazakhstan.
His availability provides some much-needed stability for the club as they look to navigate a challenging patch of form and a significant list of injuries. Negru has been a vital presence at the back for Town this season, serving as one of only three players to have started every game so far, alongside Connor Ripley and Aaron Drinan.
The club remains thin in defensive positions, particularly with Ryan Tafazolli only recently returning to training and James Ball currently filling in at right-back to cover for the suspended Mitch Clark. The return of Louis Millard, who was excluded from the final Kenya squad due to injury, also offers a potential alternative, with the player having resumed training with the under-18s last week.
While Negru stays in Swindon, Sam Inwood will be unavailable for the upcoming schedule. He has been called up by the Northern Ireland Under-21s for their UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifiers against Malta, Georgia and Greece. As a result, Inwood will miss the EFL Trophy match against Newport County, as well as league encounters with Accrington Stanley and Rochdale.
The news comes as the club continues to manage a difficult period of injuries. Ollie Palmer is currently expected to be sidelined for approximately ten weeks with an ankle issue, while recent concerns over Ben Middlemas and Joe Snowdon forced them to miss the recent trip to Salford City.
With only one player currently away on international duty, Swindon Town will not be eligible to postpone matches during this window, unlike several other clubs across the league such as Barnet, Northampton and Port Vale. The focus for the squad now turns to maintaining momentum in their upcoming fixtures in the absence of a wider rotation of personnel.
Source: Wiltshire Times — Football · View original