Birmingham City captain Dion Sanderson has returned to training and could be back in the team for the weekend, according to the Birmingham Mail.
Sanderson has been out with an ankle injury for nearly a month, with his last appearance coming in a 2-1 win over Stoke City on the 20th of January. The centre-back is now back in full team training, as confirmed by Birmingham manager Tony Mowbray today.
“Dion is back training now. He’s telling me he’s not far away. It gives us more choices”.
It’s a huge boost for the side, who have only won once since losing their captain to injury in four games. Birmingham currently sit 18th in the Championship, six points ahead of 22nd-place Queens Park Rangers who are in the relegation zone. Six out of the seven clean sheets they’ve kept in the league this season have come while their captain has been in the team.
There is a blow for Mowbray’s side, however, as Alex Pritchard will not make the match at the weekend against his former club Sunderland. The midfielder is still recovering from a calf injury.
“I was watching Pritch in the gym today side-footing volleys on these big bands that they tie around their waists for resistance. He’s getting there. His next step will be back on the grass and then back in the team.”
The 30-year-old midfielder has played just one game for the Blues since signing from the Black Cats in the January window, featuring 45 minutes in a 1-0 defeat away to West Bromwich Albion.
Birmingham have lost their last three games against the Black Cats, and haven’t beaten the side from the Stadium of Light since January of 2018. Victory for Michael Beale’s side would keep them in contention for the play-off places as they are still just one point off Coventry City in sixth.
Writer’s View
Sanderson’s return will be a major boost for Birmingham City, as their stats with and without him tell two very different stories. They are defensively more solid with the 24-year-old in the team, and considering the way their form has fallen off in the four games played in his absence, his return could be the difference between them staying up and going down.
However, Pritchard’s injury will be a blow, especially because he will not be able to face his former club. The signing has not gone as Mowbray would have hoped so far, and the manager will be eager to get the midfielder back as soon as possible so he can begin performing and making things happen at St Andrew’s.
