Alex McLeish waiting on Alexander Hleb for Carling Cup final clash against Arsenal
Alex McLeish, the Birmingham boss, revealed he had not ruled out the possibility of Alexander Hleb facing Arsenal in the Carling Cup final on Sunday. The 29-year-old attacking midfielder c*m winger had to be taken off during the FA Cup fifth round clash
against Sheffield Wednesday.
The former Arsenal player left the ground on crutches and even though it seems highly unlikely for him to face Arsenal over the weekend, the Birmingham boss refused to rule out the http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Belarus-c2849 international completely.
Alexander Hleb arrived at Arsenal in 2005 for a fee of €15 million and was used by Gunners boss Arsene Wenger in a variety of positions. However, he had injury problems early on which kept him out for months on end.
The injury plagued midfielder followed http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Barcelona-c38605 in 2008 but failed to secure first team football at the Nou Camp. After just a year he then went on loan to Stuttgart, where once again he failed to make an impact. The year 2010 saw him make
a return to the English Premier League with Birmingham City on loan.
The results of a scan confirmed there was no ligament damage after which the 29-year-old is just waiting on the verdict by his doctor in London. McLeish said while speaking to reporters, “It is not a ligament problem. Alexander had a scan yesterday and it
is just severe bruising. He is seeing the surgeon in London today and I haven't ruled him out for Sunday. Alex has great skill and massive experience and it is something I'd like to be able to call upon at some stage in the game if he is fit.”
The former http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Scotland-c756 manager confirmed he would be presenting the best line-up possible against Arsenal. This is Birmingham’s chance to win silverware this season and they will do their best when presented with the chance on Sunday.
McLeish said, “I'm pretty sure about the nucleus of the side and I know that some people will miss out but that is my job. I always pick my teams fairly without any influence from what players may say or what the media may say.”
Birmingham striker http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Cameron-Jerome-c8284 was previously out with an ankle injury, while Martin Jiranek was sidelined with a thigh problem. McLeish revealed he expected both players to be fit in time for the match against Arsenal since they were close to returning
to full training.
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