Danny Cowley has stated that he couldn't risk playing Alex Pritchard in Huddersfield's 5-2 loss at Bristol City on Saturday.

The midfielder had been injured but returned last Saturday and also played in the midweek draw with Swansea. He's been a key player for Huddersfield over the last couple of seasons, but dropped off in form during Jan Siewert's poor reign as manager.

Huddersfield suffered a heavy defeat on Saturday, and in reality, Cowley could have used a player of Pritchard's quality to drive them forward throughout the game. Instead, they spent much of the fixture on the back foot and Bristol City ran out comfortable victors.

Cowley has stated that he would have loved to have played Pritchard, but he wanted to protect the attacking-midfielder from any potential long-term injury problems.

Speaking to the Examiner Live, Cowley said: "We would have love to have played Alex.

"But he played two games back-to-back on Saturday and Tuesday and felt his calf after he had come off against Swansea on Tuesday night.

"He would have broken down and we would have injured him long-term, so we had to try and protect the player."

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The Verdict

Pritchard is a very talented player, and can be a really big asset, especially in a league such as the Championship. Huddersfield have to try and keep a close eye on his injury problems to ensure he can come back better.

I'm not sure he would have made too much difference during the game on Saturday as Bristol City were simply sensational during the fixture. He would have been able to get them up the pitch more, and contains that quality that is needed in the final third.

He's a key player for Huddersfield, and that's why Cowley is looking to protect him from any long-term injury issue.