Chris Davies could have Keshi Anderson back available for Birmingham City’s clash with Wrexham on Monday (8pm kick-off) after the winger returned to training last week.
Blues host fellow unbeaten side Wrexham in one of League One’s most exciting fixtures on paper. Davies has been boosted by the returns of Blues’ four internationals and Anderson could also return to the squad.
“Keshi Anderson has been in training. He has been reintegrated to training in the last few days,” Davies confirmed on the eve of Blues’ clash with Wrexham.
Blues will be without Ethan Laird and Luke Harris after the pair suffered ankle injuries in the win over Wigan Athletic before the international break. Giving an update on Laird and Harris, Davies said: “Ethan has a knock to his ankle, the same as Luke Harris, so they both look like they are going to be out for a little while now.
“They will both miss a bit of time but we have a squad to deal with that. I think it will be into the months, I would say. I can’t be definitive on it yet because we need to see how both settle, but I think it’ll be over a month for them both.”
Here is the latest Blues injury news…
Dion Sanderson
Injury: Foot
Sanderson was a surprise omission at Leyton Orient after missing the win at Wycombe due to suspension. Davies isn’t expecting the defender back imminently, saying: “Dion still has a little way to go. He’s progressing, I would say. It’s a problem with his foot. It’s not a fracture or anything like that, it’s just something to do with his foot that needs treatment and time to recover.”
Ethan Laird
Injury: Ankle
The right-back has been ruled out until next month at the earliest with an ankle injury. The news is a bitter blow to Laird, who came through a full pre-season unscathed to start Blues’ first six matches under Davies. Laird only made 25 league appearances in his first season at St Andrew’s due to a series of injuries and now faces another spell out.
Luke Harris
Injury: Ankle
Fulham loanee Harris was withdrawn with a similar issue to Laird against Wigan and missed out on representing Wales under-21s during the international break as a result. The 19-year-old has been ruled out for more than one month by Davies.
Lee Buchanan
Injury: Calf
Left-back Buchanan was dogged by a calf injury in pre-season and it’s allowed Alex Cochrane to take his place in the XI. Buchanan is on course to return towards the end of this month.
Davies commented: “His return to training date is mid September, which then means he needs to get at least a couple of weeks under his belt, so we are looking towards the end of September for him to be available all being well.
“From what I hear and see, he is progressing on track. It’s a niggly injury in the calf but he is progressing on track and I’m really looking forward to getting him back.
“I felt like he had a couple of niggles in pre-season, I didn’t get the chance to have a really good look at him so I’m looking forward to him being fit.”
Alfie Chang
Injury: Knee
Chang is being given time to rebuild his fitness after more than a year on the sidelines with a cruciate knee ligament injury. The 21-year-old midfielder is still a regular in the treatment room at Blues’ training base and a timeframe hasn’t been placed on his return. Chang has been omitted from Blues’ squad meaning he isn’t currently eligible for League One fixtures.
Davies said recently: “He’s in end stage rehab now. He’s at that point where things are moving in the right direction but I still think he’s got a little way to go before he really ramps his training up.”
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