Birmingham City: Chris Davies drops update on Tomoki Iwata situation | OneFootball

The Blues midfield maestro was forced off after being on the receiving end of a heavy tackle from Huddersfield's Jonathan Hogg.

Birmingham City manager Chris Davies has revealed the club will closely monitor the health of Tomoki Iwata in the coming days after being on the receiving end of a heavy tackle from Huddersfield Town's Jonathan Hogg.

The challenge occurred with just under 15 minutes of the game to play at the John Smith's Stadium on Tuesday night, as Hogg lunged in on the Japanese international, taking none of the ball but leaving a firm impression of his boot on the top of the Birmingham midfielder's ankle.

The veteran Huddersfield midfielder can probably count himself fairly lucky that referee Adam Herczeg only brandished a yellow card, as it left Iwata having to be carried off the pitch in what was his first game back in a Blues shirt since 4 January.

It was a moment that undoubtedly put a real dampner on what was otherwise a brilliant evening for Davies' Birmingham side, as a superb strike from Keshi Anderson was enough to secure a huge three points to send them two points clear of Wycombe Wanderers at the top of the League One table.

"It didn't look great" - Birmingham City manager Chris Davies very unhappy with Hogg's tackle on Iwata

Speaking via Birmingham Live after his team's big win over the Terriers, Davies discussed his thinking behind keeping Iwata on the pitch for as long as he did following his return from injury, as well as making his frustration over the tackle that forced him to leave the game clear.

Davies said: “It was always a case of let’s get him to half-time and see how he is because he hasn’t done too much. You know what you get with Tomoki, he’s intelligent and reads the game well, he’s quick across the ground and he can play one, two touches and sees the game really well.

“It was a real sore one for him with his injury, just as he was about to come off anyway, ironically, but we’ll have to see how he is in the next couple of days with that.”

Offering his thoughts on the tackle on Iwata itself, Davies stated: “I do have a view on a lot of challenges. It didn't look great, the way he’s gone in on the top of his ankle there, but what can you do? We’ve had a few of those tonight and in other games and hopefully we can get a little bit of protection in some moments.”

Long-term Tomoki Iwata injury would be a huge blow to Birmingham City

Having joined from Scottish giants Celtic in the summer, Iwata has been a revelation in Birmingham City's midfield this season, and looking every bit of a player who is far too good to be playing in League One respectively.

The 27-year-old is the oil that keeps Blues' engine room roaring. Whether it's dictating the tempo of play with his passing and movement, creating chances for teammates or putting the ball in the net himself, or breaking up dangerous opposition attacks, he's been instrumental to Birmingham's success this season.

Therefore, everyone connected with Birmingham City will undoubtedly be crossing their fingers for positive news regarding this latest injury blow, as they will need his presence in the middle of the park as they look to see through their charge back to the Championship in the coming months.

Blues do have strength in depth in the centre of midfield should Iwata be forced to miss a considerable amount of time. Kieran Dowell has just arrived on loan from Rangers, whilst Seung-Ho Paik and Marc Leonard have both proven themselves to be quality players at third tier level.

Taylor Gardner-Hickman can also move into central midfield if needed, as can Luke Harris, whilst Alfie Chang could also push for playing time now that he's back from a lengthy injury absence.

However, Iwata brings the full midfield package to Birmingham's side, and his absence would still hurt massively despite Blues having the depth to cover his place in the starting lineup.