Birmingham City manager Chris Davies has confirmed that defender Alex Cochrane is expected to be in contention to start against Sheffield United on Saturday after recovering from a back injury. The left-back was forced off at half-time in last weekend's cup win at Swansea City following a collision with teammate Christoph Klarer.
Lee Buchanan replaced Cochrane for the second half in Swansea, making his first competitive appearance since December 2024. However, Cochrane could reclaim his spot at Bramall Lane as the Blues prepare for their Championship opener.
Fitness update on key players
Davies also provided positive news on Paik Seung-ho and Demarai Gray, who both gained valuable minutes in South Wales. "Dimmy's had a good week on the back of that," said Davies. "Paik came through it well and they've all recovered pretty well. Cochrane took a heavy knock but he's recovered from that so we're in good shape."
The Blues boss confirmed that Kanya Fujimoto, who missed the Swansea match after featuring in all of Birmingham's pre-season games, is close to returning. The Japanese midfielder sat out with a knock and is "not a million miles away" from being available again.
Injury concerns and long-term absentees
German striker Marvin Ducksch is building up his fitness after his pre-season was disrupted by injury. Meanwhile, Marc Leonard and Taylor Gardner-Hickman are sidelined for the foreseeable future.
Davies added: "Kanya is close. He's not got a long-term injury, it's something he's been trying to build up through this week. He's close to being available for this game."
The update comes as Birmingham City finalise their preparations for the trip to Sheffield United, with the squad largely in good shape ahead of the Championship curtain-raiser.
