Frank Lampard said he is waiting on the late return of two long‑haul internationals before finalising his Coventry City lineup for Friday’s Good Friday clash with Derby County, even as three key first‑team players rejoined training after short‑term injuries.
Jack Rudoni (calf), top scorer Haji Wright (groin) and striker Brandon Thomas‑Asante (hamstring) all trained on Wednesday and are in contention to feature across Coventry’s busy Easter weekend, which concludes with a trip to Hull on Bank Holiday Monday. Lampard described their return to the training ground as encouraging but cautioned that training on a match‑day minus two does not automatically guarantee match fitness on matchday itself.
Defender Joel Latibeaudiere and winger Ephron Mason‑Clark remain en route back to the UK after Jamaica’s World Cup qualifying defeat to DR Congo, and Lampard revealed their return was hampered by flight problems. “We’re waiting for Ephron and Joel who are landing sometime today, this afternoon, so they’ll be in later on to see where they’re at,” Lampard said in his Thursday morning pre‑match press conference, adding that the pair had been shuffled across multiple connecting flights which delayed their arrival.
Lampard stressed the practical difficulties of selection after international travel, especially when players return from the other side of the world with limited recovery time. Asked whether the Jamaican players had travelled in business or first class to mitigate jet‑lag, Lampard replied that “in the end the Jamaican boys travelled how we would want them to travel,” but added that there are limits to what a club can control when national teams arrange long‑haul trips. “Fatigue and jet‑lag is a massive thing and we do everything we can to deal with it. There are some things that are probably the national team’s responsibility… but I’m not trying to start a fight with anybody here.”
Other internationals have already reported back to Ryton. Frank Onyeka (Nigeria), Jay Dasilva (Wales) and Romain Esse (England U21s) have returned to training, Lampard confirmed, though he said the coaching staff would monitor minutes played and freshness before deciding on selection. “We’ll have to see for tomorrow… it’s good that they go and play for the country, clearly, but the need for us to play on a Friday… with a lot of travel, is far from ideal,” he said.
Thomas‑Asante’s situation drew particular attention after he withdrew from Ghana duty following Coventry’s 3‑0 win at Swansea, having been substituted with a tight hamstring. Lampard described the decision as a joint, cautious call between the club and Ghana’s staff and stressed that the forward had been keen to represent his country. “He was very, very keen to go and represent his country but, unfortunately, a small injury stopped that,” Lampard said.
With a short turnaround between fixtures and two players still arriving late, Lampard will weigh fitness, match sharpness and the squad’s need for freshness when naming his team. The manager acknowledged the logistical challenges posed by international windows that fall so close to club fixtures but stopped short of escalating the issue publicly, preferring to focus on preparation and assessing each player’s condition ahead of the Easter weekend.