For Jordi Osei-Tutu, this season wasn't meant to go like this.
This was meant to be the young Arsenal prodigy's breakthrough campaign; the one in which he stood up and was taken notice of.
Certainly, that was the way it started out. His first few outings in a Bluebirds shirt were bright, encouraging, even exciting.
The right-back position was one which Cardiff had struggled to fill adequately for a number of years, but this young kid was seemingly the answer.
Given his only experience of senior football was in Germany, it was fair to say he came as a bit of an unknown quantity.
But Neil Harris and his team had tracked his loan spell at VFL Bochum and the club was genuinely excited to get the deal over the line.
However, it has been a season of agony and frustration for the youngster, who suffered a horrific hamstring injury before a further setback in January meant he missed six months of the season.
But after just two games back, both substitute appearances in April, he faces another spell in rehab.
Mick McCarthy revealed the 22-year-old fell victim to ankle ligament damage and has had to return to his parent club Arsenal for good, with just nine Bluebirds games under his belt.
And while the Cardiff City manager saw the young right back only fleetingly, he is convinced his future is bright.
"It's awful for him, it's really demoralising," McCarthy said of Osei-Tutu ahead of the Bluebirds' final fixture against Rotherham.
"And you almost get embarrassed if you keep getting injured, limping off training, it's soul-destroying for players, especially young players.
"I do feel for him because he is a terrific talent, he really is.
"The bits I've seen of him, I loved him."
While it was not the season he intended it to be, his young years means he thankfully has plenty more ahead of him.
And very few Cardiff fans would bet against him making a success of himself, even it is based on the unfortunately small sample size they have to go on.
