Neil Warnock: Rubin Colwill can be Cardiff’s Gazza
Former Cardiff City manager Neil Warnock has said that attacking midfielder Rubin Colwill can be the club’s version of Paul Gascoigne, following his excellent start to the 2025/26 season.
The form of Colwill has seen the Bluebirds start the campaign in fine style, with the playmaker at the heart of everything good going forward for his club.
Recently, Colwill’s virtuoso display in the League Cup against Welsh rivals Wrexham had pundits and fans purring.
The 23-year-old’s goals and assists also earned Colwill a recall to the Wales squad earlier this month.
Now that form has even drawn comparisons to Gascoigne from the manager who saw him emerge through the youth ranks at Cardiff City.
“In my era Gascoigne was the player but you had to give him a free role,” Warnock said.
“He couldn’t do anything in a team situation but he was that good you could do it. I think Rubin is in that position for Cardiff.
“He’s as good as anything in the Championship if he’s given a free role, and he works his socks off as well.”
Paul Gascoigne was known as a maverick playmaker and often thrived when given freedom to roam across the pitch, looking for the ball.
For Cardiff, Colwill does have a freer role than most in the modern game, deployed as an attacking midfielder and tasked with the team’s main playmaking efforts.
“He can play right at the very top of the Premier League if he continues like that,” Warnock added.
“I remember saying to (Colwill), ‘I’d give you a free role and build a team around you’ and I think that’s what Brian (Cardiff City manager Barry-Murphy) is doing.”
Warnock led Cardiff to Premier League promotion in 2018, but admits that he has only just returned to watching his former club.
“I’ve never enjoyed watching a Cardiff team as much since I left,” said Warnock.
“Brian is doing a great job, they’re like a breath of fresh air. They shouldn’t have gone down last year with the players that they had, they should never have gone down when I look at it.
“I would have kept Joe Ralls because as the season goes on with all the games it’s good to have an old head in there.
“But other than that they’ve brought in well, they entertain, the fans get behind them and they’re only young.”
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