Charlton Athletic manager Lee Bowyer has revealed that leading striker Lyle Taylor is one of three players who are unwilling to play when the Championship returns.
The English Football League announced their intention to resume the season on 20 June on Sunday evening. However, the decision has been met with reluctance by some clubs, with QPR’s chief executive Les Hoos ”vehemently opposing” the “absolutely appalling” proposal.
Taylor, who has scored 11 goals in 22 games for Charlton this season, is out of contract at the end of the season and fears an injury could damage his chances of securing a “life-changing move”.
Bowyer admitted the loss of the 30-year-old would be detrimental to the relegation-threatened club. Chris Solly and David Davis have also stated that they are not willing to play.
“Lyle is a big player for us, a bit like [Troy] Deeney at Watford,” Charlton’s manager told TalkSport. “When he plays, we win games and Lyle has said he is not going to play because of the risk of injury. Chris Solly said the same. And [David] Davis, who is on loan from Birmingham, said he does not want to come back and play games. We are three players down but it’s just another hurdle. We’ve got another 22, 23 players that do want to play and that’s the most important thing now.”
“[Taylor] has done great for us for two years and, in my eyes, you finish what you have started. Everyone has got their own decisions to make – I cannot force them. What disappoints me the most, and I’ve spoken to Lyle about it, [is that] he wants to play but he is so worried about getting injured that he is saying: ‘I won’t be the same player for you.’ It’s difficult because he’s so big [a player] for us. He’s going to get a life-changing move. If it wasn’t for Lyle, we wouldn’t even be in this division. He has chosen now not to come back and play until the end.”
Taylor was instrumental to Charlton’s promotion from League One, scoring 25 goals after joining on a free transfer from AFC Wimbledon, and has continued that same run of form this season despite suffering from a hamstring injury.
