Bristol City midfielder Josh Brownhill has admitted his surprise at Marlon Pack's decision to join Cardiff City on transfer deadline day back in August.

Pack brought his six-year career at Bristol City to an end when he made the permanent move across the border, which came just days after he had captained the Robins during their opening match of the season.

The 28-year-old has now settled in to life at his new club after overcoming a leg injury to establish himself at the heart of the Bluebirds' midfield over their last three league matches.

Robins midfielder Brownhill has now spoken out on Pack's switch to South Wales, with the 23-year-old admitting that Lee Johnson's side have missed their former captain this term.

"I was very close friends with Marlon and I felt when he went it was a big loss as he's a good player. For me I was quite surprised but it's Marlon's decision and, what goes on behind the doors, it's up to him," he told the Bristol Post.

"I feel like we've missed Marlon a lot but I feel like we've replaced very well. Nagy's been excellent, it's a shame he's been injured, and Han-Noah Massengo has been a breath of fresh air."

Following Brownhill's comments, we now take a look at Pack's form this season...

Pack has played 515 minutes of Championship action so far this term, with this including the 90 minutes he played for Bristol City during their first match of the season against Leeds.

The midfielder has seen his Cardiff career limited to just five appearances so far as a result of his leg injury, but he has re-established himself in Neil Warnock's side since his return and now looks set to play a key role this season.

Pack has operated in a defensive midfield role where he can provide strong protection for the Cardiff defence, but he also showcased his ability to contribute to the club's attacking efforts when he tapped the ball home against QPR.

The positive influence Pack has had is evinced by his 63% successful actions, which proves how comfortable Pack has looked in Cardiff's midfield this term with his ball-winning skills and passing range.

This range has seen him record a pass completion rate of 78.4% which is a respectable statistic when it is considered that a significant portion of these passes would have been long balls forward to Cardiff's attackers.

Pack's presence as Cardiff's midfield anchor means he is also tasked with winning midfield battles, and the fact he has won an impressive 60.9% of his aerial duels suggests he is comfortable with the ball both on the ground and in the air.

Meanwhile, he has made an average of 3.84 interceptions per game which reflects his ability to read the game and then react quickly to ball-winning situations when they develop.

Overall, Pack has made a wholly positive impact since his arrival. Bristol City have certainly lost a top quality Championship player, but the fact the Robins have managed to assemble a ten-game unbeaten run since his departure may suggest the time was indeed right for the club to finally part company with Pack.

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