Blues boss Kieran McKenna says summer signing Azor Matusiwa is settling in well, despite having gone straight into a challenging role with the midfield light following summer exits.
Town lost skipper Sam Morsy, Massimo Luongo, Kalvin Phillips and Jens Cajuste at the end of last season with the Sweden international returning a fortnight ago but not ready to slot back into the side having had little in the way of pre-season at Napoli prior to his return for a second season-long loan spell.
Dutchman Matusiwa, 27, joined from Rennes in France for £7.8 million and has started both the Blues’ Championship games so far.
"He is settling in really well,” McKenna said. "Off the pitch, he’s a really good guy, very humble and unselfish. He wants the team to do well, he’s a real team player. He’s settling in really well on the pitch as well.
"I thought he had a really good pre-season in a challenging role to come into, in a team that has been together for quite a long time. I’ve had one or two players playing in certain roles for all of that time.
"I have some really clear principles and patterns that we like to use, on and off the ball, so to come into all that in a new league, even though he’s an experienced player, is a challenge. He’s done really well.
"The Birmingham game for everyone was really difficult, even players who have played lots and lots in the Championship and English football. Both sets of teams found it a really intense and scrappy game and hard to get any rhythm.
"On Sunday, I thought we started to see more of his qualities coming out into the game. I thought his defensive work was excellent, some big interceptions and challenges in the second half that really gave us some momentum and pushed us towards the winning goal.
"His work on the ball will continue to improve as he starts to understand his teammates and the patterns and principles that we like to work towards. I think there’s a really good base there.
"Considering he has had to go straight into the team in a light midfield unit at the moment with partners around him, Cam Humphreys in pre-season, Jack Taylor, who haven’t made a whole lot of starts either, and to have that responsibility I think he has coped with it well. I fully expect over the weeks and months ahead he’ll continue to progress.”