Bristol City would have been hoping to book their place in the fourth round of the League Cup yesterday by defeating Lincoln City at Ashton Gate.

Robins manager Nigel Pearson opted to make a number of alterations to his squad for this particular fixture.

One of the individuals who was given the chance to impress against Lincoln was Dylan Kadji who featured in the heart of midfield alongside Andy King.

After scoring in his side's triumph over Wycombe Wanderers in this competition earlier this season, the midfielder ultimately failed to replicate this particular display against Lincoln as his side suffered an incredibly disappointing defeat at the hands of their League One opponents.

The Imps raced into a two-goal lead in the first-half thanks to efforts from Matty Virtue and Ben House.

Following the break, Paudie O'Connor added a third for Lincoln in the 48th minute as he headed an effort past debutant Stefan Bajic.

The Robins scored a consolation in the latter stages of this game as Tommy Conway took his overall goal tally for this season to nine in all competitions.

In terms of Kadji's display, it is fair to say that he missed out on the opportunity to bolster his claim for a regular starting role.

The 19-year-old only registered a pass success rate of 64.7% in this fixture (as per WhoScored) as he was unable to influence proceedings from his midfield role.

Kadji was also relatively ineffective in a defensive sense as he only completed one tackle and failed to register a single interception.

Having recorded an underwhelming WhoScored match rating of 5.73 against the Imps, Kadji may now be forced to watch on from the sidelines in the coming months.

Unlikely to seriously challenge the likes of Alex Scott, Matty James and Joe Williams for a place in the side, the midfielder would definitely benefit from a loan spell away from Ashton Gate.

Limited to just two league appearances this season, a switch to a team in a lower division may be exactly what Kadji needs at this stage of his career as it will give him the chance to play regularly at senior level.

By featuring week-in, week-out for another team in the second-half of the season, the teenager could improve significantly as a player before returning to the Robins ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

Keeping this in mind, if a Football League side shows interest in Kadji, Pearson must not hesitate when it comes to sanctioning a temporary exit for him in the New Year.