McNally looked really composed, says Skubala

Returning Bristol City centre-back Luke McNally looked "really composed", said manager Michael Skubala, as he played his first 90 minutes of competitive football in 20 months.

McNally played all of the 1-1 Championship draw against Charlton Athletic on Saturday, his first official appearance for the club since suffering a serious knee injury in February 2025.

"I thought he looked really composed. You saw what quality he had, how well he wants to defend - he's first and foremost a great defender," Skubala told BBC Radio Bristol.

"He's physically worked really hard on himself. He's worked really hard in the gym, he's worked really hard on his rehab, he's been training since pre-season with us, so he's been growing his physical capacity through the last few months - credit to him."

The 27-year-old sustained an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury to his knee but faced repeated setbacks during his recovery which prolonged his time on the sidelines.

"Credit to him, the medical team, the physical team - it's a long time to be out as a footballer and all they want to do is get on the football pitch," Skubala said.

"But to see him at Crystal Palace [during a friendly] do very well, to see him at Charlton against a physical team do very well, it's amazing. The human side of it is sometimes more important than the player side of it, but I thought he had a great game."

The club are still waiting more information on the injury that kept Joe Williams out of the side at the weekend, although Skubala said they are hopeful "if he's out it's weeks, not months".