Kieran McKenna has confirmed that Sam Szmodics will be part of the matchday squad for the Blues’ Emirates FA Cup fourth round tie against Coventry City.
The forward, who has missed the last five games due to an ankle injury sustained in the Premier League draw at Fulham last month, will make his return.
“Sam will be in the squad,” Kieran said.
“He has trained and will travel with the team. It’s great to have him back as he’s been a key player for us with his goals. He also brings a different style of forward play compared to what we’ve had recently.” Meanwhile, Conor Chaplin, who has been out for six games with a knee problem, is making progress but will not be available for the match against Frank Lampard’s Sky Blues. Wes Burns, who injured his knee in the match at Liverpool, has undergone surgery.
“Conor isn’t back training yet and Wes has had surgery to repair his ACL,” Kieran added.
“Fortunately, it went well. There wasn’t too much damage to the other parts of the knee, so it was as positive as it could be.”
Christian Walton also picked up an injury at Anfield and is expected to be out for around eight weeks.
“Christian is looking at around eight weeks out with a groin strain,” Kieran continued.
“We’ll monitor him as we go. Sometimes it can take longer, sometimes shorter. We’ll aim to get him back as soon as possible.”
