Bristol City manager Nigel Pearson has revealed that Famara Diedhiou was missing from his squad against Luton Town due to an injury.

The Senegalese striker was a noticeable absentee when the line-ups were announced, with Pearson opting to go with Tommy Conway up-front with Nahki Wells.

Because of Diedhiou's contract situation, some City fans believed that he was out of the squad due to his imminent departure this summer.

The 28-year-old has been offered multiple contracts by the City hierarchy in an attempt to keep him around, with outgoing CEO Mark Ashton revealing that a deal was on the table last summer that would have made Diedhiou one of the highest paid players in the clubs history.

But he's still yet to put pen to paper on anything and time is ticking down until Diedhiou becomes a free agent - and it's unclear if he will play for City again.

Pearson was adamant that it was an injury problem that kept him from being involved in the defeat to the Hatters today though and not anything else.

"He’s got a bit of a swollen knee. He was fine yesterday in training," said Pearson, per the Bristol Post.

"But I think it's only right to not take chances with that today, so there we are."

The Verdict

Some Bristol City fans aren't buying the injury claims, but even still it wouldn't make much sense to play Diedhiou with nothing at stake and if he's not going to commit to the club.

It's safe to say that supporters have been disappointed with the impact of the striker this season, scoring just eight times having hit double figures in the league for the last three seasons and his general performances haven't been up to scratch.

There won't be that much of an outcry if Diedhiou does up sticks, but for the club it will be disappointing to lose him for nothing considering they paid over £5 million for him.