Chris Davies confirms Birmingham City injury blow after victory over West Brom

Birmingham City manager Chris Davies is unsure how long Krystian Bielik will be sidelined for after he suffered a shoulder injury against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday afternoon.

Blues’ new captain was substituted just before half-time after making a pivotal sliding challenge on Albion winger Tom Fellows. Bielik immediately grabbed hold of his left shoulder and received treatment before heading off the field with his arm in a sling.

Davies was asked about the extent of Bielik’s injury but it remains unclear. “I’m not exactly sure, he’s sore,” the manager said in the post-match press conference.

“We need to see how he reacts to it. It’s obviously a blow but we don’t know how long he’ll be out for yet. We’ll find out in the next 24 hours.”

A nervous wait begins as Bielik is without doubt one of the club’s most important players. If it’s a shoulder dislocation, it could be around six weeks before the 26-year-old returns to action.

One positive that came out of the situation, at least, was the impressive performance from Christoph Klarer as Bielik’s replacement off the bench.

The new signing, despite usually being known for his defensive contributions, scored one and assisted another to help Birmingham to their 4-1 win. The Austrian has settled in well since joining from Darmstadt.