Blues boss Kieran McKenna says striker Ali Al-Hamadi will have earned the trust put in him if he makes his first Blues start in Saturday’s East Anglian derby against Norwich City at Carrow Road.
The Iraqi international could be handed his full Town debut should Kieffer Moore not recover from the back injury he suffered in Monday’s 3-2 defeat of Southampton.
Moore, 31, a January loan signing from AFC Bournemouth, is doubtful for Saturday’s trip to Norfolk having suffered a severe back spasm against the Saints.
Al-Hamadi, who joined the Blues from League Two AFC Wimbledon for a fee of just over £1 million, also in January, replaced Moore in the 36th minute on Monday and is his most obvious replacement on Saturday should the Wales international not make it.
The 22-year-old has so far made 11 sub appearances for Town and has scored four times.
"I think he's earned that trust,” McKenna said when asked whether he would be prepared to throw the youngster into a game of such magnitude as the weekend’s derby.
"We have belief in him in terms of the reasons why we brought him to the football club.
"First and foremost, in terms of his potential, I have to say I think he's still got a lot of improvement and growing to do, developing as a football player, but we wouldn't have brought him in in January if we didn't think he could play a part in the team in the last few months of the season. And he certainly has played a part.
"Of course, to start games and play significant minutes is another big step up, but he took one of those step-ups on Monday coming on the early stages of the game and finding the rhythm of the game.
"It wasn't easy to find it until half-time but fighting his way through that period and then really having a big impact on the second half, and he was really unlucky with his chance, it hit the post.
"I think that was a good step forward for him and he's become an important player for us already.”
Al-Hamadi missed Iraq’s internationals due to an adductor problem which will continue to give him problems until he undergoes an operation in the close season.
"I think it's worth knowing that he has an injury that will require surgery in the summer, and I'm not sure many players would be playing with the injury that he has at the moment,” McKenna added.
"But he's an incredibly tough boy and he's making himself available for the team and pushing through not just the barriers of jumping up two levels, but at times is pushing through pain barriers for the team, and we're going to need him to play an important role to the end of the season.”