Former Man Utd midfielder relishing run of games with Birmingham City & becoming key player under John Eustace

Birmingham City midfielder Tahith Chong has revealed his delight at being back at St. Andrew’s on a permanent basis after signing from Manchester United in the summer. The Dutchman, who featured in pre-season for the Red Devils, made 20 Championship appearances on loan with Blues last campaign.

The 22-year-old has played nine successive league matches since returning to the club, racking up an impressive four assists in that period. This includes a brace of creative contributions in a 3-0 home win over Bristol City at the start of October, in what was one of his finest games in a City shirt.

The versatile midfielder was very close to scoring his first goal of the season against Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, as he hit the woodwork within the first ten minutes. The near miss seemingly set the tone for the rest of the afternoon, as Blues were beaten by two goals to one at Ewood Park.

“It is difficult to take,” Chong told Blues TV post-match. “I think the first two goals are disappointing to concede in that way from our point of view. Sometimes small details even if my shot first-half that hit the post goes in, it is a different game.

“Even with the chances we had at 2-0 down, we felt that we could have come back. Second half we wanted to be more aggressive and try and take the game more to them, which we did, but it wasn’t meant to be today.”

The loss at Blackburn brought an end to a strong upturn in form for Blues, as the games beforehand saw City draw 1-1 to Burnley, beat Hull City 2-0, defeat Bristol City 3-0, and gain a valuable point away at Sheffield United.

There was a narrow 1-0 setback against Middlesbrough between these games, but overall, fortunes seemed to have changed for the better. Chong has also revealed how well he has settled back in - suggesting there is a positive atmosphere in the changing room at current.

Chong continued: “It’s nice to be back. From when I left, it already felt like home. I’m glad to be back and, hopefully, we can keep improving the performance. For me, I can get more and more into the rhythm for the team as well.”

Rhythm is something Eustace and his side will certainly need to develop as they look ahead to a challenging fixture. City host table-toppers Queens Park Rangers on Friday evening and will have to be at their best to earn a positive result.