Blues boss Paul Lambert says midfielder Teddy Bishop is getting closer to returning to the first team, however Emyr Huws has suffered a setback in his comeback. Myles Kenlock is back in U23s action, while Lambert says Ellis Harrison is also closing in on his return.
Bishop’s only senior appearance this season came as a sub at Exeter in the Carabao Cup following three injury-hit campaigns. A hamstring injury subsequently sidelined him but he he recently returned to action in the U23s and in last week’s behind-closed-doors friendly against QPR, which a more senior Blues side won 5-1.
"I’ll decide when I think he’s ready to come in,” Lambert said when asked whether Bishop was ready for inclusion the 18 for Friday’s game against West Brom. "I think he’s getting stronger, I think he’s getting fitter.
"The problem with Bishop was that he couldn’t sustain training days. He was breaking down, training, break down, train, never giving himself a chance.
"But he’s not really missed any training since we’ve been here, so he’s getting stronger, he’s getting fitter.
"As I said before, a huge talent, a really huge talent. But he’s 22 years of age. He’s got to leave potential at the door.
"He’s not a kid, he’s got to start to make a mark on it. I’ve had a chat with him about it and he understands. He’s a really good footballer, really good. And we have to get the best from him.”
Ellis Harrison has been out with an ankle injury, while Emyr Huws had been back in training after the knee operation he underwent last season and Tom Adeyemi went under the knife on his achilles injury last month.
Asked how close they are to a return, Lambert said: "They're looking at January for Tom. Huws is doing well but he had a little setback with his injury and if we can get him in training and back fit, it's going to be great for us.
"Ellis has actually started back training, which is great. He's a little bit short of match fitness, without a doubt. He's a strong player, a strong centre forward, a little bit short of match fitness but doing really well.
"I think Tom will be [back in January], Emyr I'm not sure, we'll have to keep monitoring him. Ellis definitely is not too far away.”
Quizzed further on Huws’s setback, he added: "I don’t know because I’m not long in the door. I know he had a problem with his knee before and there’s still a little problem there with his knee.
"Huws is another one, he can’t keep breaking down, train, break down, train, break down. It’s no good for anybody. He has to have a sustainable level of training and then he breaks the back of the injury syndrome.
"He’s one kid you want to get really fit because I think he’ll make a huge impact the way he passes the ball, which is important for me.”
Better news is that left-back Myles Kenlock has featured for the U23s after recovering from his ankle problem.
"Myles is doing well,” Lambert said. "Obviously he's been out with an injury and he's still a bit short of getting back up to speed with it.
"He knows the way we want to play, he's trained it and watched it long enough now. But he's got Jonas in front of him, and [he’ll be competition].
"He's doing fine, Myles. I think he's got good quality, but I think he's still a little bit short of it because he's just back from an injury.”
Midfielder Jon Nolan is also over the dead leg which has seen him miss both Lambert’s games so far.
Regarding the players who were away on international duty, he said: "We've had everybody come back in pretty good shape. Jonas obviously just played on Monday, Trevoh played on Monday. Flynn's been away, Andre's been away.
"So they're the lads that will probably need to have a little bit more recovery. One or two little bumps, which you normally get. But predominantly everybody's okay.
"They'll probably train tomorrow with us, they're having another recovery day today. We'll hopefully have a full squad tomorrow.”
Lambert was pleased with how Trevoh Chalobah and Andre Dozzell fared for the England U20s as they beat Germany 2-0 at Colchester with Flynn Downes introduced as a sub in the final moments.
"I think Trevoh, as the game went on, the game became easy for him,” he said. "He was comfortable at the back. Andre's got some great touches. I know exactly what the three of them can do.
"Difficult game in the first half, but England were strong in the second half. First and foremost, I'm delighted that none of them got injured.”
Toto Nsiala and Grant Ward have been left out of both Lambert’s 18-man squads so far. Asked what they need to do to get themselves back in the frame, he said: "I can only pick 18. Everybody was excellent in training, as those two lads were.
"It has been tough to pick 18 of them because of the way the lads have been playing. That's been the difficulty, every one of them has been excellent for me.
"Wardy and Toto are every part of it, their time will come, whether it's this week or next week.
"Their time will come because it's an impossibility to keep picking the same team and bench - if you do that, it's pretty good going. But there's too many games for them not to feature."
Kayden Jackson netted a hat-trick in the friendly against QPR, goals which Lambert says were most welcome for the striker, who has scored just twice - at Exeter in the Carabao Cup and in the league against Brentford - since his summer move to the Blues from Accrington.
"He needed that game, Kayden,” the Town boss reflected. "He needed that feeling of hitting the net again, I think that's important.
"Jordan [Roberts] has come in and done ever so well for us and Kayden knows you can't play every game. He's got to be ready when we ask him. But the hat-trick will certainly do him a world of good.”
He admits it’s tough picking a team at present: "It's very difficult picking a side at the minute, the way they're playing.
"Even the 18, picking the bench is difficult, because even the lads that overspill from that are playing really well in training and in practice games.
"It's difficult, but I'd rather have that than not. As long as everybody sticks together, there's that feeling that we can get injuries or suspensions and they're ready to come in. So far I've got to say they've been great.”