Lee Buchanan hasn’t played a match for Birmingham City since late December 2024 due to a serious knee injury
16:31, 27 Feb 2026Updated 16:38, 27 Feb 2026
Lee Buchanan in Birmingham City training(Image: BCFC)
Chris Davies hopes to have Lee Buchanan available for selection in the ‘next few weeks’ after the Birmingham City full-back has featured for the under-21s.
Buchanan is back in full training 14 months on from the ACL injury which forced him to miss all of Blues’ matches in 2025.
The left-back has been named in Blues’ EFL squad for the second half of the season and, with Kai Wagner nursing a shoulder injury and Alex Cochrane currently out, Buchanan might have a path back into the fold.
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“Lee Buchanan is doing really well,” says Davies. “We’re going to look to get him some minutes for the under-21s.
“I’ve really liked the look of him in training. He’s been back in, looking eager and strong, so I’m encouraged by that.”
There are plenty of second string games for Buchanan to build fitness in the short-term.
Blues’ under-21s take on Middlesbrough at The Riverside on Monday – two hours before the first team play Boro at St Andrew’s – before a double-header against Manchester United and Chelsea over next weekend.
Davies is wary that Buchanan hasn’t been available for more than a few weeks since the end of the 2023/24 season, before he was appointed manager.
Buchanan sustained a calf injury in Davies’ first pre-season in charge which kept him out for four months before he suffered that knee injury in the final game of 2024 against Blackpool.
Davies added: “I don’t think Lee has had availability for a month for quite some time. He has looked strong.
“We pushed him quite quickly back into it last time because of the injury to Alex (Cochrane).
“I’m hoping we can see him available for the squad in the next few weeks, to be perfectly honest.
“And with the way he’s training, I’m hoping he would be ready if we had an issue like with Kai, because there’ll be a clamour for Lee Buchanan because he’s got the experience and the qualities to do it.”
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