There are still nine games left of the 2019/20 campaign and with all EFL games suspended until at least the 3rd of April, it remains to be seen 

Bristol City are still in the mix for the play-offs, sitting one point and one place short of the top six, but even so, thoughts are beginning to drift to next season already.

For the Robins, that could mean a vastly different starting XI as they will surely look to improve via the transfer market in the summer and have a number of players to return from spells on loan.

One of said men and someone that could be key to City's hopes in the 2020/21 season is central midfielder Liam Walsh.

The 22-year-old has spent the season on loan with League One side Coventry City and has been hugely influential in helping the Sky Blues move five points clear at the top of the division with a game in hand over the rest of the top six.

Such has been the quality of his performances that teammate Kyle McFadzean has taken to calling him "Messi".

The exit of Josh Brownhill in the January transfer window has left a huge hole in the City midfield and so far, none of the options available to Lee Johnson have been able t0 fill it.

Korey Smith and Han-Noah Massengo have the ability to break up play and to look after possession well, while the jury remains out on Markus Henriksen.

None of those three have been able to dictate play and be a dynamic force in the final third, as Brownhill was. Judging by his performances for Coventry this season, Walsh could be the man to take up just that role for the Robins next term.

The 22-year-old has controlled games for the Sky Blues–averaging 53.06 passes per game (among the most in the Coventry squad) at a success rate of 80.73 (Wyscout).

Walsh has also been a dangerous player in the final third–grabbing five goals and four assists, as well as providing 34 shot assists and 39 progressive runs.

Out of possession, he has been impressive as well and has won 64.45 of his defensive duels, averaged 5.98 interceptions per every 30 opposition possessions and 9.57 recoveries per game.

According to Wyscout, the former Everton man has bettered Brownhill in most of the key categories for central midfielders, indicating he is a prime candidate to fill the void left by the former City captain.

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When pressed on how he saw him fitting in next season, Johnson told the Bristol Post he was looking forward to getting the 22-year-old back.

He said: "I've gone on record in saying that I really like Walsh as a player, very fond of him and I believe that to be at Championship level, fighting for the Premier League, he needed 40 games on the spin.

"Now that he’s got that experience, he’s always had the talent, always had the technique to go and play as high as he wants and it’s a case of building that sort of resilience really to being a three points player. Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday.

"Obviously he’s doing it really well, statistically he comes out well as if we would sign him from League One but of course, he’s already ours with another year left and I expect him to come back in next year and have a lot of games for Bristol City."

It sounds like Walsh could be a regular fixture in the Robins side next season and if he if can reach the levels he has in this campaign, he'll surely be a huge success.