Declan John was a breath of fresh air when he made his breakthrough in 2013 but things haven’t quite gone to plan since.
After years of failing to nail down a regular spot in the starting XI, John is set to leave the Bluebirds before the transfer window ends in September.
Neil Warnock and the Cardiff CIty staff have seemingly run out of patience with John who hasn’t made any real improvements since that excellent season he enjoyed in the first team during the Premier League campaign of 2013/14.
In fact, former manager Russell Slade claimed John had gone backwards since his time in the light, and the full-back was sent on loan to League One to improve his attitude.
We can never know for sure how Declan John has performed in training or off the field, but we have seen performances on the pitch failing to reach his previous standards.
John begun the season in the team during Paul Trollope’s reign last year, and it certainly didn’t help his case that the team sunk to new lows of the relegation zone.
The 22-year-old hasn’t really had a look in under Neil Warnock, with the exception of limited appearances from the bench.
And it seems that is how his Cardiff CIty career will end after years at the club.
Why is Declan John deemed not good enough?
It’s a huge topic among Cardiff City supporters, many of which are still left bewildered by the whole situation.
How can John have been so good in the Premier League and then not make the team in a league lower down in the pyramid?
Now that could be down to a number of factors, but the most likely is that John feeds on space as a player, much like his fellow struggling team-mate Craig Noone.
In the Premier League - despite the heightened standard - there is a lot more space to play, especially in the back four.
Drop down to the Championship and you get a lot less time on the ball, with a physical challenge always just seconds away after receiving the ball.
That’s something which doesn’t suit Declan John, a full-back of small stature and without the craving for big challenges.
Not only that, but he just hasn’t got what the likes of Joe Bennett, Jazz Richards and Lee Peltier have - that presence and confidence.
For one reason or another, all those players are much more assured and all possess far more quality in the full-back position.
John is of course still young and with the right backing, he could improve, but it’s been a case of too many years without improvement at his current club.
Neil Warnock commented last season, saying John’s main position will still be unknown in years to come and that sums up his biggest problem.
Having begun his career as a winger, and then transforming to a full-back, he still hasn’t perfected either.
John doesn’t look anywhere near strong enough defensively to be a full-back at Championship level, and while he possesses the pace and drive to play out wide, he hasn’t been given the time to perfect the positional aspects of wing play.
He’s quite unfortunate to be left in that situation, and the heavy changeover in managers during recent years probably hasn’t helped his case.
However, there’s no doubt Cardiff have put a lot of time, effort and money into trying to return John to his best.
It hasn’t happened in the three years since dropping out of the Premier League, and with just one year remaining on his current deal, he is set to depart this summer.
The verdict - Are Cardiff City right to give up on John?
Supporters will be split on where the finger of blame is pointed for John’s lack of success, whether it’s at the player, the club or a manager.
However, it seems it’s time for the Bluebirds and John to go their separate ways.
John desperately needs a fresh start and to be looked upon with a fresh set of eyes in order to make his career work, even if that’s in the league below.
Cardiff can’t afford to be holding 22-year-old’s in the development either, and they certainly can’t afford to be giving players game time for the sake of it in a season as big as this one.
It’s a sad situation in many ways, because John really was touted as the next big player to graduate from the Bluebirds academy.
But there are no guarantees in football, and that’s been proven by the full-back’s unpredictable career so far.
It’s a story that will end with an inevitable feeling of ‘what could have been’, but it’s also a story which - after years of debate - must soon come to an end.
(Featured image: Jon Candy)