Birmingham's Lee Carsley suffers ankle injury blow
Carsley (right) deals with Arsenal's Andrei Arshavin earlier in the season
Birmingham midfielder Lee Carsley has been ruled out until March with an ankle injury suffered during Tuesday's FA Cup win over Nottingham Forest.
It was the 34-year-old's first start since October, but at least the news was countered by the unveiling of new midfielder Michel on Thursday.
Boss Alex McLeish said: "We're probably looking at Lee being out for six weeks.
"His ankle is in a boot, is stabilised and that is going to help him more. But he doesn't need any surgery."
Birmingham are riding high in eighth spot in the Premier League on the back of an unbeaten 14-game run in all competitions and have been helped by Carsley covering the first-choice partnership of Lee Bowyer and Barry Ferguson.
But Carsley's absence does add a little pressure to the shoulders of new signing Michel, a £3m acquisition from Sporting Gijon.
McLeish added: "If anything should happen to my midfielders, then I want him to be be right to come in and he has got to adjust quickly.
"He can't be of a mindset that he is just breaking himself in for next season. He has got to be here saying 'I want to challenge Ferguson and Bowyer."'
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