Early Injury Blow for Birmingham's Key Man
Birmingham City manager Chris Davies has confirmed midfielder Paik Seung-ho suffered a dislocated shoulder during his side's Championship defeat to Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium.
The South Korea international, who had scored in his previous two matches, landed awkwardly after challenging for a header within the first minute of play near the left touchline.
Paik received extensive on-field treatment before being replaced by Marc Leonard in the fifth minute, dealing an early blow to Blues' plans against one of the division's stronger sides.
Davies Rues Missed Opportunities
Despite the early setback, Birmingham recovered to create several promising chances after half-time, with Jay Stansfield, Patrick Roberts and Tomoki Iwata all failing to beat Middlesbrough goalkeeper Sol Brynn.
The hosts had established their advantage through first-half goals from Dael Fry and Hayden Hackney, rendering Demarai Gray's third strike of the season - his third goal in as many games - nothing more than a consolation.
Reflecting on what became Birmingham's fifth away defeat of the campaign, Davies stated: "Looking at it overall I think we did deserve something from the match. We just couldn't quite get the last touch or the last finish but we created enough."
The Blues boss emphasised his team's dominance in possession and territory, adding they had executed everything they worked towards in preparation, except finding the crucial finishing touch required to take something from the game.
International Duty in Doubt
The injury likely rules Paik out of South Korea's upcoming international fixture against Bolivia, dealing another blow to the 28-year-old who has been a regular feature in his national team squads over the past year.
Davies confirmed the club would assess the midfielder over the coming hours and days to determine the full extent of the damage and potential recovery timeline.
"He's a massive player for us and hasn't been injured much at all," Davies noted, expressing his concern after seeing the influential midfielder in significant discomfort on the pitch.
Birmingham City supporters will now await further medical updates on their key creative force as the team looks to bounce back from this disappointing result.
