Birmingham City: Chris Davies confirms big blow ahead of Mansfield Town clash | OneFootball

Birmingham City winger Emil Hansson is set for a spell on the sidelines due to injury.

Birmingham City manager Chris Davies has confirmed that winger Emil Hansson is set for a few weeks on the sidelines due to injury.

Hansson became one of 17 new signings to join Birmingham this summer following their relegation to League One as he made the move from Eredivisie side Heracles Almelo.

While Hansson has failed to get on the scoresheet and provided just one assist for the Blues so far, he has impressed with his performances, and 10 of his 14 appearances in all competitions this season have come from the start, underlining the faith Davies has in him.

However, Hansson was forced off after just 20 minutes in the 2-0 win over Bolton Wanderers at St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park on Tuesday night, and he is now expected to be unavailable until next month.

Hansson's injury did not prevent Birmingham from registering their second consecutive league victory against the Trotters in midweek, and Davies' men remain top of the table ahead of Saturday's game against fourth-placed Mansfield Town at the One Call Stadium.

Chris Davies provides Emil Hansson injury update

Davies revealed that Hansson is set to be absent for the next few weeks due to injury, and he admitted the 26-year-old will be a big loss for his side, but he delivered more positive updates on midfielder Luke Harris and striker Lukas Jutkiewicz.

"With Emil it looks like he will be out for a few weeks," Davies told Birmingham Live.

"He’s felt something there and it looks like he’ll be out, which is a blow because he’s been very good for us and played a lot of football. That’s how it is, there’s always someone else ready to come in and take their opportunity. We will just have to assess Emil day by day.

"Luke Harris has had a bit of training under his belt now which is really positive. He’s back in and around it. Jukey will most probably train today having been out for a week or so with a niggle. We’re getting a few players back but there’s still a few out. Injuries are unfortunately part of football and we’ve had our fair share this season, hopefully we can get more back and keep them out of the treatment room."

Davies also confirmed that captain Krystian Bielik and defender Lee Buchanan are making good progress in their recoveries, and they could both return to training with their team-mates in the coming days.

"They’re both end stage rehab. They’re not on the training field with the team but they’re getting out on the grass and moving a bit more. I hope they will be back with the team in a matter of days – not too long," Davies said.

Birmingham City will be able to cope during Emil Hansson absence

As Davies says, Hansson has been a regular starter this season, so he will be missed over the coming weeks, but Birmingham certainly have the depth to cope with a few injuries, as they have already shown in the early weeks of the campaign.

Davies may decide to hand a start to Marc Leonard after he replaced Hansson against Bolton, but it seems likely that he will be keen to bring Jay Stansfield back into the team to partner Alfie May, which could see a change of system.

The Blues arguably have one of the strongest squads that League One has ever seen, so Davies has plenty of options at his disposal to cover for Hansson, and he will be looking for players to step up.

It has been an outstanding start to the season for Birmingham, but it will be a tough test on Saturday against a Mansfield side who have made an excellent start to life back in the third tier following their promotion from League Two last season.