Birmingham City midfielder Taylor Gardner-Hickman is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after manager Chris Davies confirmed the injury will keep him out for 'months, not weeks'. The 23-year-old has not featured since being forced off early in the friendly against Burton Albion two weeks ago.
Injury blow adds to midfield shortage
Gardner-Hickman, who spent last season on loan at Blackburn Rovers making 32 Championship appearances, was expected to provide valuable rotation options for Davies. However, his absence compounds an already stretched midfield department at St Andrew's.
Speaking about the midfielder's condition, Davies said: "TGH is a little bit longer. He will be months, not weeks." The news comes as a significant setback for the club, which has been active in the transfer market but now faces a shortage in the engine room.
Paik Seung-ho also sidelined
Gardner-Hickman has been joined in the treatment room by South Korean international Paik Seung-ho, who has not participated in any pre-season matches. Paik reported back to training later than his teammates after featuring in the World Cup, only to pick up an injury during a training session.
Despite the setback, Davies offered a positive update on Paik's recovery: "He's had a good week. He obviously had a knock but he's made decent progress this week, so he's in a much better position than he was."
Blues rely on limited options
With Gardner-Hickman and Paik unavailable, Birmingham have been forced to rely on Jhon Solis and Tomoki Iwata as their only senior midfielders. The duo are set to start Saturday's Carabao Cup tie against Swansea City, but the lack of depth is a growing concern.
The situation is further complicated by the absence of Marc Leonard, who will be out until the New Year due to an Achilles injury sustained at the end of his loan spell at Hearts last season. This leaves Davies with a severely depleted midfield as the new season approaches.
Transfer plans in motion
Davies has admitted that the club's recruitment team is actively looking at new midfield reinforcements. "We do have to look at that sort of area," he said. "You look at us in the back half of the pitch and we've got decent stability and numbers but probably need reinforcement in the front half. It's quality not quantity that we want. It's a cliché but it's true. We need to try and make the team better rather than the squad.
"With Tommy Doyle leaving and Taylor picking up that injury, and Paik not coming back, has left us a little bit lighter. We're looking at it."
Further injury concerns
The midfield crisis is not the only issue facing Davies. Forward Marvin Ducksch will miss the Swansea match due to an injury that has kept him out of all pre-season games, while Demarai Gray is a doubt after missing last week's friendly against Barcelona.
Birmingham City will be hoping to bring in new faces before the transfer window closes, but with the season opener just days away, Davies must make do with the resources currently available. The club's fans will be eagerly awaiting news of potential signings to bolster the squad and ease the pressure on the remaining fit players.
