Mackay praises Odemwingie

13 December 2013 20:16

Cardiff boss Malky Mackay has described Bluebirds summer recruit Peter Odemwingie as "a joy to work with" ahead of Saturday's clash with the striker's old club West Brom.

Should he play in the Barclays Premier League contest at the Cardiff City Stadium, it will be the first time Odemwingie has come up against his former employers since leaving Albion for the Welsh outfit in the closing stages of the last transfer window.

His stint with the Baggies, which lasted three seasons, turned sour, with him driving to QPR on deadline-day in the previous window in a bid to secure a move, only for the deal to fall apart.

But while that incident might have given the impression that the Nigeria international is a troublemaker, Mackay had only positive things to say about Odemwingie on Friday.

Regarding the 32-year-old, who has so far made 12 appearances and scored two goals for Cardiff, Mackay said: "There was a lot of press around Peter concerning that January, in terms of his on-off transfer to QPR.

"He obviously took a lot of stick over that, but I can only speak about the lad that I know.

"I phoned up certain people who played with him and coached him and managed him and they were glowing.

"If they hadn't been, that would have given me cause for concern.

"The boy I have met and I have here is articulate, he speaks four or five different languages, he is intelligent, he has smiled since the day he arrived here and he is very polite too.

"He is a talented footballer and definitely wants to do well for us. He has been a joy to work with and he wants to do the best he can for the club, so it has been a really good one for us.

"We did our homework on him and had he not been the right kind of person, I wouldn't have brought him in."

Odemwingie has scored just twice for the Bluebirds since joining the club and has often had to settle for a place on the bench but his former boss Steve Clarke accepts there is a possibility he could return to haunt West Brom.

Clarke said: "It is possible, it can happen. He is a goalscorer, that is his position.

"So, if he is selected to play for Cardiff we will have to deal with him, the same as we will have to for anyone else they select.

"Former players come back, they play against you. That's what happens.

"People move on in football. Peter has moved on from here and so have we."

Source: PA