Colchester United will be without key full-back Ellis Iandolo for the opening stages of the season, according to Danny Cowley.
Signed from Swindon Town in 2023, the 27-year-old was a near-ever-present in the U’s League Two campaign last season, featuring in all but two of their games, both due to suspension. He assisted three goals and found the net once, in the penultimate game of the season against Salford City, across nearly 4,000 minutes of action.
Injury Headache Revealed
However, Iandolo will not be involved in the opening skirmishes of the upcoming season in Essex after it was revealed that he had succumbed to a knee ligament injury. He was spotted in a protective brace during Colchester’s most recent pre-season outing against Dagenham and Redbridge, with the League Two side running out 5-0 winners.
Speaking to the Gazette about the left-back’s condition, Cowley gave a timeframe of how long he will be without Iandolo.
“Ellis has picked up a nasty injury, unfortunately. It’s a contact injury and it looks like a medial knee ligament injury, which will mean he will be out for some time. We’re all with Ellis, as he’s such an important player for us.”
“They’re always hard to say. But I will imagine 10-12 weeks.”
He joins Jack Payne and summer signing Dominic Gape on the injury list, but it is believed that the midfield duo will be available within the coming weeks. Cowley expressed his concern about depth in the wide defensive areas, adding:
“At the moment, the only experienced full-back we have at the club is Rob Hunt. Young Oscar [Thorn] is learning on the job, bless him, and doing a really good job. But to lose Ellis, who’s a really big player, it’s tough for us to take.
“It was an innocuous sort of block tackle in training on Friday and it’s opened up his knee. We’re still short in some areas, full-backs and centre-half, particularly. Where we are as a club at the moment, we’re waiting for the window to unfold, to find the very best value in the market and that’s what we are waiting for.”
Writers’ View
This injury to Ellis Iandolo is likely to spark a major push for new full-backs at Colchester United. To only have Rob Hunt as experienced cover is a big issue heading into the opening day against Tranmere Rovers is a less-than-ideal situation. Fortunately, the club looks likely to have a clean bill of health heading into that match, so sorting a quick replacement for Iandolo is now a must.
