Cardiff City's senior players Roko Simic, Jesper Daland, and Kion Etete are training with the Under-21s as the team prepares for the start of pre-season.

What's happening with the trio?

The three players have been absent from the first team as Cardiff City prepares for life back in the Championship.

Manager Brian Barry-Murphy's transfer mantra has always been quality over quantity, and he has chosen to keep a relatively small squad despite their promotion from League One, where they finished 2nd with 91 points from 46 games, scoring 90 goals and conceding 50.

Why are they training with the U21s?

Simic, a Croatia Under-21 international, signed for Cardiff City in August 2024 under manager Erol Bulut for £2m from Red Bull Salzburg. He has never made an appearance for City and spent last season on loan at Karlsruher SC in Germany's second tier.

Daland, a Norway Under-21 international, signed for Cardiff City during the same transfer window from Belgian Pro League's Cercle Brugge. He played once under Barry-Murphy on the opening day of the League One season, before following Simic on a loan to Germany's second tier with Fortuna Dusseldorf.

What comes next for Cardiff City?

Etete, a once promising young signing from Tottenham Hotspur, has struggled to make an impact with the Bluebirds during his tenure, scoring nine goals in 63 games. After three loan spells away from Cardiff City at Bolton Wanderers, Rotherham United, and Scotland's St Mirren, it seems increasingly likely that he, along with Daland and Simic, will not be a part of Barry-Murphy's plans this season. Cardiff City's next fixture is against Forest Green on July 25, 2026, as they look to bounce back from their last result, a 5-4 loss to Mansfield Town on May 2, 2026.