Cardiff City manager Omer Riza has taken to social media to defend striker Yakou Meite following his emotional statement published on Sunday.

Meite, 28, posted on X about the abuse he has received from fans and explained why he has stopped applauding supporters at games. You can read his full statement here.

Riza has now backed up his player in his own statement online.

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"No matter how he plays or performs at times, one thing from Yak is that he always does things fully and wholeheartedly," posted Riza.

"He trains hard and cares about the group that surrounds him. It's more than just football, sometimes it can be hard to manage emotions, I'm a prime example of that." Sign up to our daily Cardiff City newsletter here.

Meanwhile, Andy Rinomhota says the three points secured against Derby "almost feel like six" due to the tight nature of the Championship relegation picture.

The Bluebirds are hitting form right when they need it most; they are now seven unbeaten in the league and have pulled four points clear of the bottom three.

“We knew how important this game was going to be,” Rinomhota said. “We try not to put too much pressure on it obviously; we are still going into approaching it the same as we would any other game.

“We knew getting three points would almost feel like six in a way with teams around us, so I’m really happy with the win. It’s very important.

“It's a good start with the momentum which we are going to try and keep building on, to try and make it as hard as possible for teams to come to our place.

“In this league, it is about momentum, so we're happy to add another win, another game unbeaten. We’re just looking to carry on the way we're going.”

Rinomhota has been something of an unsung hero since switching to right-back in Riza's system, where he has played for the last six weeks or so. The 27-year-old says he's just happy to be involved, having been left out in the cold under Erol Bulut.

“I’m happy to be back in the fold now,” he added. "Just trying to enjoy my football, which I am, so I'm just trying to keep that momentum going as long as I can.

“This is the most run of games I’ve had in that position. I’ve had odd games here and there, maybe just filling in for players. But I’ve taken to it well, felt comfortable.

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“I’ve grown into it more; I think at the start it was still just a little bit unfamiliar, but I think now I’ve adapted to it well. I'm happy to be playing, no matter what position it is, where it is. I’m happy just to keep being in the team.”

There was a point, however, earlier in the season, when he did ponder another loan move - having spent the second half of last season at Rotherham United - before finally getting his chance.

"When Erol came in last season, it looked like I wasn't going to be getting a chance, and I didn't. That's exactly how it was," he added.

"I wanted to play as many games as I could so I had to go out on loan. I got games there, came back in and it still seemed like a similar situation. So I was again thinking, 'do I go out on loan again?' I just wanted to play football.

"I ended up staying and now, under Riz [Riza], I've worked myself back into the team and managed to keep a place there now. So I'm happy at the minute."