Kai Wagner was forced off in Birmingham City’s defeat to Millwall on Wednesday night
Kai Wagner of Birmingham City
Kai Wagner’s shoulder injury isn’t as serious as first feared, Chris Davies has revealed in a significant boost for Birmingham City.
There were fears Wagner had done some damage to his left shoulder when he clashed with Ryan Leonard during the defeat to Millwall on Wednesday.
Wagner had to be replaced midway through the second half and appeared to be in serious discomfort, but there is no significant damage to the shoulder or collarbone.
Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search
“Kai Wagner is better than we thought,” Davies said at his pre-Middlesbrough press conference on Friday.
“We were really concerned after the game that he’d done something quite serious to that shoulder but it seems to be just a heavy knock, very painful, not something that’s going to keep him out for long. That was the best news that I had yesterday.”
South Korean midfielder Paik Seung-ho is also making progress following a shoulder injury of his own.
Paik has delayed surgery in a bid to help Blues win promotion to the Premier League and feature for his country at this summer’s World Cup.
“Paik is doing modified training to build back up again,” added Davies. “Whether he will be right for this week we’ll have to see. Paik is very stoic, he will try to push and do whatever he can, when others would still be in the treatment room.”
The obvious candidate to replace Wagner at left-back is Ethan Laird, but Davies has cast doubt over whether he is ready to start a game after two substitute appearances.
Laird has only just returned after five months out with a hamstring injury to appear as a substitute versus Norwich City and Millwall in quick succession.
Davies’ alternatives to Laird are left-footed centre-backs Jack Robinson and Jonathan Panzo – unless he makes the surprise decision to fast-track Lee Buchanan back into the XI after 14 months out.
“Ethan is a bit behind,” Davies said when asked if Laird is ready to start. “He was out for five months and he never got under-21s football, he came straight back in and I’ve got him on the bench quite early and he came on for longer than we wanted to at Norwich.
“Ethan hasn’t built up a base, I would say, to really go for 60-70 minutes of a match. Ethan is going to have to get that through a bit of training and the bench appearances, but within a couple of weeks he’ll be ready to go.”
Get the latest Blues headlines sent straight to your phone
BirminghamLive has its very own Birmingham City WhatsApp community to deliver the latest headlines straight to your phone. Just click this link to receive daily Blues content and breaking news. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. Click on the name at the top of your screen while in WhatsApp and click ‘Exit Group’. Read our Privacy Notice.