'Moving on' - Cardiff City star on Leeds United players, Whites injuries and Elland Road hope

Cardiff finished last season’s Championship in 21st place but Republic of Ireland international winger O’Dowda says new boss Erol Bulut has refreshed the Bluebirds who are looking to “exciting times” ahead of the new campaign.

O’Dowda is now relishing Sunday’s first game of the season against Leeds at Elland Road and is reading little into United’s injury problems or the possibility of players featuring for the Whites who might yet move on this summer.

“It’s always going to be tough,” said O’Dowda to Cardiff City’s official website. "I know we look at personnel and you can easily say ‘injuries, injuries, injuries’ and all that. I think there are probably going to be some players there that might be moving or might be going, but that’s everywhere.

“The first game, it’s always cagey. You know what it’s like. There could be a lot of 0-0’s over the division, but I’m looking forward to it. I can’t wait to get going. Pre-season is great, but we all miss the real thing, don’t we?"

O’Dowda added: "There’s a lot of positivity going into the new season. Last year, there was a lot of change, but this season I feel that there is a real sense of stability in the club. I’d say it’s really exciting times if you look at the players we’ve brought in.

"Pre-season was tough; we were worked hard and it was a bit different for me, because I had time off with the national team, so I had a bit more time off and gave my legs a bit of a rest. I played a lot of games last season as opposed to the two seasons before.

“I’ve really enjoyed pre-season and I’ve enjoyed playing more games in pre-season than we would normally. The manager really wanted as many games as we could, which really helped to implement what he wanted. It’s difficult to replicate that in training.

“As a whole, it’s been really good and really refreshing. The management have come in and really put their mark down on what they want. You can tell from his first interview at the club that he wants to play on the front foot, and play aggressive football. He wants honest players and ultimately, it’s down to us on the pitch.”